Historic Albany Foundation

Happy Birthday to our Warehouse Assistant, Earl! Thank you for everything you do and all your hard work! Enjoy your day!

WHIO'S AFRAID OF A CHEAP OLD HOUSE?
Not us! We can finally tell the secret we have been keeping since last year! HAF's Parts Warehouse will be featured in the HGTV television show "Who's Afraid of a Cheap Old House!" Our episode will air on Tuesday, July 2nd at 10am. Be sure to DVR our national television debut!

For more information, visit: https://www.hgtv.com/shows/whos-afraid-of-a-cheap-old-house

Photo Credit: HGTV

We are thrilled to announce that we have hired Julianna Whalen as our new part time Development Manager. Julianna is a native of Pennsylvania and has just relocated to the area. She brings with her a wealth of non profit fundraising, museum and history experience. Julianna's role will be overseeing membership, the annual fund and the corporate sponsorship efforts. You might just be hearing from her soon!

It’s hard to believe that Historic Albany Foundation (HAF) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Founded in 1974 by a group of community activists as a membership-based advocacy organization, we continue to serve our original mission and tenets of protecting our beautiful and historic city.

Today, 50 years later, we accomplish our mission through many advocacy efforts; educational, hands-on how to programs, lectures and tours; community based technical services helping historic property owners maintain and restore their properties, as well as the operation of the Architectural Parts Warehouse and the new Tool Lending Library and Tool Truck.

In honor of our golden anniversary, we are launching the Campaign for 50 to ensure that HAF can continue the important work that staff and volunteers do each day. To kick off this campaign, we are thrilled to announce that Phoebe Bender has made a gift of $500,000 to HAF’s endowment in memory of her late husband, and one of our founders, Matthew Bender IV. Please follow Phoebe’s lead and consider making your own gift to HAF and help us reach our goal of an additional $50,000 by August 31, 2024.

How can you support Historic Albany Foundation at this momentous time in our history? There are many ways your gift can make a difference including: membership, Annual Fund, programs and project support, the endowment fund, and planned giving.

However you choose to give, please know that every gift ensures that Historic Albany Foundation will continue our mission to preserve and protect the historic architecture of the City of Albany.

Please watch your mail for a letter, or, click here to give today! https://www.historic-albany.org/how-to-support-haf

Thank you!

Walkabout Wednesdays -Independence Day Albany
Wed Jul 3, 2024 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM 12210
Please meet at Quackenbush Square.

Join HAF Board President, Matt Malette for a downtown walking tour highlighting ten stories of founding fathers, dead presidents and declaring independence. This tour runs about 90 minutes. Some of the stops include Kiernan Plaza, SUNY Plaza and St Peters Church among others.

To purchase tickets visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/historicalbanyfoundation/1303947

Our walking tours are in partnership with Albany
Thank you to our Tour Season Sponsor

Today Historic Albany Foundation unveiled its inaugural Historic Marker in the City of Albany.

This marker, located at 247 Second Street in Albany’s West Hill Neighborhood commemorates the home of Arabella Chapman, who in 1873, became the first African-American student to cross the segregation line in the city of Albany. She was the only student of color at Albany Free Academy (Albany High School) for the 1873-74 school year and was the first person of color to graduate in the Albany Public School system.

To mark the 150th anniversary, Historic Albany Foundation has honored the last remaining known home she lived in to launch our new Heritage Marker program.

Just a few more spots left on tonight's North Pearl Street walking tour. Join City Historian, Tony Opalka for a stroll around North Pearl Street. The tour starts outside the Palace Theatre at 5:30pm. Purchase tickets at the link below!

Buy tickets – Walkabout Wednesdays - North Pearl Street Tour Please meet at The Palace Theater located at 19 Clinton Ave. Join tour guide and City Historian, Tony Opalka for a guided strol...

Check out the Tool Truck this afternoon at the Delaware Avenue Branch of the at the first farmers market of the season! We will be onsite from 4-7pm. You can borrow tools, sign up for a membership or just see what the Tool Library and Tool Truck is all about!

See you there!

Almost there! The tax credit offering for 48 Hudson closes in mere hours. We are so close! Help us reach the goal!

This project is so important to Albany. It tells the story of Albany from our Dutch roots to today in a way you can reach out and touch. The restoration will make the house safely open to the public and this landmark building highly visible for the treasure it is.

Invest now to be a part of the story of Albany's oldest building.

All details of the investment offering with the minimum investment, videos on how it works, an FAQ, and much, much more can be found at commonowner.com/project/48-hudson

Questions can be directed to Cara at 518-465-0876 x112 or via email at [email protected]

Investments are still coming in. Let's keep it going! Thank you to the investors who together invested $3,000 just this morning. This is a community project with so many small, but meaningful investments. Your support makes all of the difference for 48 Hudson.

Tomorrow is the deadline to invest! To be one of the many investors who are helping us make this restoration happen, visit commonowner.com/project/48-hudson to view all of the details of the investment offering with the minimum investment, videos on how it works, an FAQ, and much, much more.

Questions can be directed to Cara at 518-465-0876 x112 or via email at [email protected]

On Monday, June 17th Pam Howard and Cara Macri attended The Preservation League of New York State Colleagues Retreat at the beautiful and historic Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck. The sessions included panel discussion on telling fuller and more inclusive stories and looking at our traditional programming in new ways to attract new and more inclusive audiences to preservation.

Join City Historian, Tony Opalka on Wednesday, June 26th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm for our next Walkabout Wednesday Tour of North Pearl Street!

To purchase tickets visit:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/historicalbanyfoundation/1275394

We are so grateful the support that has come forward for 48 Hudson. Since our last post, another $750 has been invested. This support has helped move us even closer to our goal.

Investment pays for construction costs: the contractors' time and materials like lead and glass for windows or shingles for the roof.

All details of the investment offering with the minimum investment, videos on how it works, an FAQ, and much, much more can be found at commonowner.com/project/48-hudson

Questions can be directed to Cara at 518-465-0876 x112 or via email at [email protected]

Thank you to the five investors who together invested another $5,000 in 48 Hudson in the last 24 hours! It is through many small investments like these that we will hit our deadline THIS Friday.

Join the many who are supporting the Van Ostrande-Radliff House's restoration by visiting our investment page, commonowner.com/project/48-hudson, for more information or to invest.

This is not a drill! The Tool Library Tool Truck is going to be hitting the road this summer! You can visit the Tool Truck at the Delaware Avenue Library Branch on Tuesday, June 25th from 4-7pm for the first Farmers Market of the season! We are excited to bring the Tool Library on the road and will be starting by bringing it to the market a few times and hope to expand our reach further into the city as we gain more volunteers for coverage. We hope to see you on the 25th! Stay tuned to our newsletter and social media for where and when the Tool Truck will be out!

The Tool Library and Tool Truck are run by Volunteer support and in partnership with The Albany Public Library. If you are interested in helping with this program email Shöna Nilsson at [email protected]

We are four days away from closing our investment offering for 48 Hudson. Investment provides funds for restoration activities, like the fabrication of this hardware, installing heat and restrooms, and moving the nearly 300 year old roof back to its original spot.

Help us reach our goal by Friday, June 21st so we can keep on restoring Albany's oldest building.

All details of the investment offering with the minimum investment, videos on how it works, an FAQ, and much, much more can be found at commonowner.com/project/48-hudson

Questions can be directed to Cara at 518-465-0876 x112 or via email at [email protected]

A huge thank you to those who invested in our restoration at 48 Hudson on Friday! $7,000 was committed toward the project through several small investments. When put together many small investments make a huge impact.

We have been advocating for 48 Hudson for over 30 years and owned it for 11, planning its restoration carefully. We are now in full swing under construction and have raised over $2.3M in grants. The tax credits are used by many developers to rehabilitate historic buildings. We are syndicating, with the minimum investment being lower than even some levels of membership, so that anyone can be a part of this project.

We are half way to our goal. Our deadline for investment is 6 days away.
Help us meet our goal for 48 Hudson!

All details of the investment offering with the minimum investment, videos on how it works, an FAQ, and much, much more can be found at commonowner.com/project/48-hudson

Questions can be directed to Cara at 518-465-0876 x112 or via email at [email protected]

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Do you recognize this view? This undated photo shows a lone brick building somewhere in the Mansion District or South End. The building is somewhere south of Madison Avenue and east of Eagle Street as the Cultural Education Center (State Museum) and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception are seen in the background. Let us know if you recognize exactly where this photo was taken.

Pam Howard and Cara Macri were honored to attend a reception at the Governor's Mansion with the King and Queen of the Netherlands on Wednesday evening. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands were in Albany for a day of business meetings as well as celebrating the long-standing arts and cultural partnerships Albany has with the Dutch.

Pam Howard and Cara Macri were honored to attend a reception at the Governor's Mansion with the King and Queen of the Netherlands on Wednesday evening. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands were in Albany for a day of business meetings as well as celebrating the long-standing arts and cultural partnerships Albany has with the Dutch.

These glasses were left behind at the Gala a few weeks ago. Are they yours? Do you know who they might belong to? Let us know as we would love to get them back to their rightful owner.

It's Wednesday and that means it's Walkabout Wednesday! There are just a few spots left on tonight's tour. Join tour guide and HAF Board President, Matt Malette for a stroll around downtown Albany. There will be ten stories of Albany's past and its place in history throughout downtown.

Thank you to our 2024 Season Sponsor CDPHP!
Our walking tours are in partnership with Discover Albany

We had 52 items come in for repair to our Repair Cafe on Sunday, June 2nd. We were able to repair 37 of those items because of our wonderful fixers who volunteered their time and talents. There are 37 less items in a landfill! Thank you to our wonderful volunteer fixers! If you missed out on our repair cafe on Sunday follow Repair Cafe Schenectady for information on their upcoming Repair Cafe in August and stay tuned for info on our next repair cafe.

Home Stretch for Tax Credits!

We are getting closer and closer to hitting our goal for the tax credits for 48 Hudson. The tax credits are the critical third part of our fundraising for the building, supplementing the $2.3M in public and private grant funds we have raised so far. Help us meet our goal by investing by June 21st. Every amount, great or small, helps us reach our goal.

For more information or to invest, visit commonowner.com/project/48-hudson

As we look back through older issues of the HAF newsletter, interesting bits and pieces of Albany's varied past turn up. This article, from 2003, looks at the pre-Civil War "boardhouse district" just south of State Street and the establishments owned by Mary Ball (ca.1791-1868), known as The Queen of The Boardinghouse Widows" for the number of properties she owned and operated as "houses of ill repute."

While our 50th anniversary gala is now a wonderful memory, it's still our birthday year. Recently, Tony Opalka gave us this brochure and it's a terrific glimpse at HAF's earliest years. Printed ca. 1975, it features the Pruyn Library on the front. The beloved library, designed by Marcus T. Reynolds as an homage to Dutch architectural styles, was unfortunately demolished to make way for the Clinton Avenue on-ramp to 787 just four years before HAF was founded.

Update on 48 Hudson

We will have the doors open wide at 48 Hudson for First Friday on June 7th from 5:30-6:30. Come and see all of the amazing work that has been happening over just the last month! The basement will be open too for the first time this year!

Sign up to reserve a spot for a tour or just pop in. We'd love to see you!

Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1st-fridays-at-48-hudson-2024-tickets-764157344187?aff=oddtdtcreator

Restoration Faire & Repair Cafe a Success!

Our Restoration Faire and Repair Cafe on Sunday was a smashing success! We counted over 180 attendees at the Restoration Faire. Nine gallons of ice cream were polished off along with 200 hot dogs and about 150 hamburgers. Most importantly, a lot of historic homes are going to get a whole lot of lovin' after this weekend. Many people were excited to get help for their homes from all of our tabling experts and enjoyed our wonderful panel discussions. We saw 52 items come in for repair and we were able to repair 37 of those items in the Repair Cafe thanks to our wonderful volunteer fixers! We even saved a lamp that was a family heirloom!

Thank you to all of our host, , tablers, sponsors, volunteers and fixers who made this day possible!