Travel In The Pursuit Of Architecture
Join us as we explore the modern architecture of Albany, NY.
When I travel there are three things on my list of criteria for a destination:
Good food
Good shopping (including thrifting) and,
Good architecture
When I am planning the next destination, I am always looking for where I can go that will highlight at least one of those three things. I love upstate New York and small town USA, so this Spring, when looking for a place to spend Easter weekend, I chose Albany, NY.
Just a 5.5 hour drive from Ottawa, did you know that Albany was home to an amazing showcase of modern architecture? I definitely did not.
I try and do an annual, if not semi-annual trip to NYC and the surrounding area but I’ve never passed through Albany before. I have stayed close by in the Berkshires and Hudson, but I’d never thought to check out Albany until now.
Did you know that Albany was the capitol of NY State?
I wasn’t expecting to find an ultra cool hip city but I had seen some cool photos of the parliamentary building in Albany on Google Maps and figured, this could be fun…
State buildings at Empire State Plaza.
A cantilever sculpture in front of State buildings.
It turns out, between 1966 and 1978 a massive modern architecture project rebuilt a large portion of downtown Albany to house state government buildings. It was a vision of then governor Nelson Rockefeller, who commissioned architect Wallace Harrison (of the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC) to work on the project.
While the complex definitely gives me Tunney's pasture vibes, it’s visual clarity and vast collection of modern art far surpasses our Ottawa government complex.
I’m sure everyone has a different experience when it comes to these things but for me it is an emotional one. Familiar architecture brings up the feels! It’s hard not to notice the parallels of the site with my alma matter - Simon Fraser University, designed by Arthur Erickson.
But it took me to other places too - eerie futuristic movies, the 70s obsessions with space, Place des Arts in Montreal. It took me to a place of wonder, discovery, and quiet, all at the same time.
Yup, I am an architecture nerd.
Four “Agency” buildings line one side of the Empire State Plaza. They all appear to be floating on a small block.
A large sunken courtyard is revealed only when you walk up to the railing that encloses it. The entire glass wall pictured was below grade of the state buildings and parallel with the parking garage.
The New York State Museum sits at one end of the plaza.
A wood sculpture park sits on the state building grounds.
One side of the state plaza was lined by this “hospitality plaza” and “The Egg” a center for performing arts.
The hospitality plaza. I’d love to host party here, who is coming to Albany with me?
An early blossom in front of The hospitality plaza.
I could have spent more time there but we parked in a 2 hour parking zone so we headed back to the car to find a spot for lunch.
Overall food in Albany was not impressive. We hit up several spots with 4.9* ratings on Google which were just passable in my books.
By early afternoon, we were feeling a little bored so we decided to move on to the next adventure. We made our way to a small town just to the north and across the Hudson called Troy. I’d heard that this was an up and coming spot to check out and it didn’t disappoint.
Stay tuned for more on my vintage finds in Troy and the Hudson Valley in my next post!