Albany NY: An Incomplete History
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- In this video, DC takes you through the streets of Albany, NY. With the Empire State Plaza, the Corning Tower, and the Alfred E. Smith building, Albany is full of architectural masterpiece and rich with history. The New York State Capitol will never cease to impress tourists and history enthusiasts alike.
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![Albany, New York - [4K] Hood Tour](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-Ci3z2rrhRI/mqdefault.jpg)
Dan you should read O Albany! by William Kennedy if you haven't already. I think you will appreciate it for it's detail regarding each of our city's great neighbourhoods.
a great book
I’ve lived here my entire life, and still watched this video in full.
I love that thanks!
Same
Ditto!
So, for anybody interested in actual history, the path of I-90 from Albany to Buffalo is built on an Iriquois footpath that was the pre-European equivalent of a modern highway. I-87 follows another footpath that linked New Jersey (a hugely native-populated area) to the Adirondack region. These were used for commerce, and that commerce is why Henry Hudson decided this was a good spot! The largest flint mine in the world (used for tools pre-European settlement) was in Coxsackie, about 20 miles south of Albany. The last battle between the Mohawks and the Mohicans was fought on Rodgers Island, between Catskill and Hudson. The Mohawks wanted to exterminate the Mohicans and take over control of commerce on the upper Hudson after Europeans settled in Albany and began trading with the Natives. There is a WORLD of difference between the cultures of the different tribes, and that was lost on the Dutch, while the French, who settled in the Adirondacks, studied them more closely.
Who ever didn't do his homework. Saratoga Springs have a very famous battle in the Revolutional War that change the history for the USA.
I definitely didn't do any prep for this video, but I will say that Saratoga was not the main focus. I actually feel somewhat strongly that Saratoga shouldn't be considered part of the Albany metro area. I'm well aware of the battle, it just must not have occurred to me when I was making this video.
Yay for us!
@@TheDCShow0 Saratoga and Saratoga Springs are two different places. We are NOT part of Albany in any way!
The nerve.
Ya could've talked about the world famous HJ Saratoga's Marylou Whitney gave Erastus Corning's grandfather when they were teens.
*pshhaw* Didn't even rave that Carly Simon mentioned Saratoga in 'Youre So Vain,' either.
....in. this. vid. about.
A-L-B-A-N-Y.
hmmm vanity .... Saratoga ....
The Hudson River *used* to be badly polluted - that was its claim to infamy. All kinds of industrial wastes used to be dumped directly into it. But, since the mid-70’s it has been cleaned up by leaps and bounds. It has been a great environmental clean-up story. You can fact-check it, but I don’t think is accurate at all to say it’s “heavily polluted” anymore. Just FYI. Great vid, though! 👍
Mmmm ok, I’ll look into that make sure to speak more positively about the Hudson River next time lol, and thanks!!
Saratoga Springs has that town feeling, but is indeed a city. It was chartered in 1913 Saratoga Springs splits in two districts: inner district and outer district. Just like Rome.
Rensselaerswyck (note Rensselaer county:)
Beverwyck, originally a Dutch settlement, became Albany after it was surrendered to Britain. A history course I created was a specific study of NYS (it was fascinating to learn about my state). I focused on Dutch discovery and settlement of the state. Much of it was lost to the British early on, as you know.
I am so happy to be able to see your informative video about Albany NY. It is a beautiful city. Its architecture is beyond magnificent, in some cases.
The Dutch got along with the locals much better than the British did.
Saratoga-jazz & blues :-).
"Clinton's Big Ditch," the Erie Canal was a source of much teasing for Clinton, but he had vision.
You said it! "Troy is a very cool city" - thank you! :-) I agree.
Have you ever toured the NYS Capital? It's AMAZING! I mean, the stonework, the floors, the artwork, the history, everything! It's like being in a gorgeous European museum!
The Plaza is also absolutely beautiful! And there are a lot of nice little spots "tucked away" near the area. Walking along the outside of the State Education Building gives you the feeling of...I'm not sure what, but it's grandiose and rich and stately (and also beautiful on the inside as well). SO MUCH spectacular architecture in this city! And Washington Park is nice. They (use to-not sure if they still do) have plays at their outdoor theatre.
LOL-love the reference to 787 (transportation engineer vs urban development). Though it cannot be denied that its complexity is inspiring.
Their Walmart even has an escalator for your shopping carts! Is that insane or what? I thought it was ingenious.
Also, Albany has the Statton VA Medical Center (opposite Albany Med on Holland Avenue).
Saratoga, where the rich people live (not totally true). They have the race track, SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center), and lots of great restaurants and stuff. You can take Rt. 9 N from Troy/Latham to get to Clifton Park and Saratoga. It's a nice drive and much easier on the nerves than taking the Northway (87N) or the thruway. The scenery is nice too.
Clifton Park-notorious? Sorry, had to laugh since it actually 'was' notorious a few years back with that NXIVM cult. Too bad since Clifton Park has been known as more of the creme of the crop type of spot.
Schenectady "used" to be greatly known because of GE (General Electric) which employed people from various places around the state. It used to be a really big deal if you were lucky enough to get your foot in the door to work there. Now, they have a casino (not a great claim to fame). But, they have a decent farmer's market, some nice parks, Union College (a very nice campus & great school to get into-I prefer Clarkson but...). Schenectady also has some beautiful architecture and their downtown had been making a nice comeback (up till Covid), and they have Proctor's Theater (shows, live entertainment, Melodies of Christmas, movies, spelling bee's, all sorts of great stuff!).
Again, another great video! What got you started in this? I think it's a very nice idea.
You might enjoy watching Chromoscope Pictures "Takeout Table" videos. I'll put in a link for their first one (all Takeout Table videos can be found on Facebook). You can find their other work just by looking up their website. They do some pretty amazing stuff that I think you will enjoy, appreciate. These guys are too cool - fun videos. chromoscope.pictures/chromoscopes-new-series-takeout-table/
Thanks for sharing takeout table! I really enjoy cities, and since I'm sometimes located in Albany, I decided to make in-depth videos about the region. I personally believe that people don't appreciate their local area as much as they should. My goal is to inform people about overlooked regions and cities. Every city has its own story and history, and I don't think youtube has enough content about them, so I'm trying to fill the gap!
Quite impressive and full tour guide. Thank you sir!
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@TheDCShow0 I came in the State of NY from my country in Eastern Europe and I am still living in Colony. It will be great to consider making an episode for all historical landmarks in NY.
The building @ 248 State St used to be located were the Alfred Smith building is now. They moved it across the street on rails with horses pulling while the building was still occupied. They reconnected services everyday at the end of the work day.
Fort Frederick Apts. The entrance used to face onto S. Swan St, now its in an alleyway
This is interesting, it's amazing how much society relied on horses prior to the automobile being ubiquitous.
Alfred Smith Bldg is very similar to the Buffalo City Hall bldg. They are like twins in art deco design. Also similar is the old city hall building, Parker Center in Los Angeles. All similar Phallic Art Deco designs.
Good overview! Lots of beautiful architecture and nature to be experienced in Albany.
As for having the largest Walmart, there used to be a Sam's Club wholesale club where the lower floor currently is back in the early 2000's. Walmart owns Sam's Club and when they closed that Sam's club I guess they decided to expand the regular Walmart and take over that lower level since they owned it already. I remember when the Walmart Supercenter opened and we went to see the escalator which had a side escalator for your cart to accompany you between floors. I think that was the first place in the area to have one of those.
Next to UAlbany also had one of the first modern roundabouts in the area, and definitely one of the first double lane roundabouts in the US, then not only is there 1 but 2 roundabouts chained together in that location now.
The roundabouts near Washington Ave ext. Are crazy lol but definitely a great idea for such a congested area.
We need an upstate governor.
That would definitely be a welcome change. I think more than anything we need lawmakers aware of the business climate up here and the damage that downstate tax rates can do.
wont happen ever. upstate politics are pathetic and they wont bring progress just more incompetence
Amen.
@@broncomcbane6382 well. As of today we have an upstate governor
@@CharcoleGrill no you dont. You have "an interim governor from Upstate". She wasnt elected and with a year left in the original term we dont know if she can be elected(doubt it) since for the last 145yrs NYS Governors have come ONLY from 3 counties: New York, Queens, & Westchester.
Now her biggest foible is no one is ever heard of her AND with Coronavirus and Hurricane Season upon us if she doesnt handle this well she wont be received favorably.
My whole perception on life... just wow
Glad this could have such a profound effect xavi
Famous UAlbany include:
-Harvey Milk (first openly gay elected politician in US)
-Gregory Maguire (author of Wicked)
-Awkwafina (female rapper)
-The Fat Jew (comedian/journalist)
Extremely informative
I don't know how anyone thinks the Empire State Plaza is ugly. It is one thing to question the merits of its original construction as it displaced some of Albany's historic Center Square neighborhood; but as an Engineer, I think the ESP is undeniably an amazing achievement. It has a timeless, simple, geometric architectural design which incorporates use of the plaza's relatively high elevation to give the appearance that the 4 agency buildings and Corning Tower are taller than they actually are (and they are clearly visible throughout the lower half of the City and from almost anywhere across the Hudson in Rensselaer). These five buildings, in conjunction with the Egg, State Capitol, and Museum provide the visual centerpiece for Albany that a State Capitol City deserves. Not to mention that it serves a great number of functions for the community such as hosting free concerts in the summer, ice-skating in the winter, and year-round theatre productions at the Egg.
Yes, I personally agree that the architecture is fantastic and certainly an icon of Albany's skyline. I do think that it fails to integrate with the rest of the city,. As a standalone plaza its magnificent, but great architecture should fit seamlessly into the streetscape.
9:24 that’s a beautiful government compound. I used to see it from the home I lived in on Delaware Avenue btw, California doesn’t have anything like it and I doubt any other state does. PS: Mayor Corning wasn’t corrupt. He was part of a political machine. It empowered an immigrant populace and lower socio economic people. Believe me, life in Albany under those times was a lot better than today.
Exactly (Re Mayor Corning). Your casual assertion of "pretty corrupt" shows you don't understand Albany's --and Corning's-- history in any depth.
corning loved albany.
Dude, read William Kennedy's Albany trilogy- Legs, Billy Phelan's Greatest Game and Ironweed.
Empire State Plaza started in 1962 when it was known as the South Mall section to the Capital. Took nearly 14 years to complete afterwards tearing up all the residential churches Catholic schools and fighting residents through element domain.
You need read your history. First Albany is the beginning of Erie canal. It ran in the land what is now covered by Rt 787. The Capital district is Troy, Schnectady and Albany. Troy made it's money via shipping as was a port in which the Hudson did not freeze in the winter.
Albany was founded by Dutch 1609 by Henry Hudson, which was called Berwyck then changed to Fort Orange. It was active Fort until the English took over named after the Duke of Albany. Albany was noted as a major Port of shipping of goods, which is still is used today. In Albany, trains were built there in a major foundry. Albany was a major transportation hub both ship and train, because of it's central location. A huge Meat packing plant were located there due to the axis of shipping to the West to Buffallo , North to Canada, East to Boston, and South to New York City.
The empire state plaza is beautiful in person and especially at night. it has a really romantic feel actually... ( to me )
Yea I agree, I love it
When looking at a map of Albany region & the Hudson River, instead of building such a long canal from digging out land from Albany to Buffalo. Why didn’t they just dig a Way Shorter canal from the Hudson River to Lake Champaign?
That would’ve been a real quick dig and then you can access the Great Lakes by boat. It’s gonna be a much longer boat ride, but a very short canal to dig.
I always wondering why they didn’t dig the canal that way?
1609 was when Henry Hudson sailed up the Hudson River in a boat called the Half Moon.
An interesting introduction, found this by accident whilst researching my Great,great,great,great, great,great Grandfather Philip Schuyler!
Woah it's very cool that you're related to him
The statue of Philip Schuyler has been removed as part of the canciel culture. Albany with it's rich history has now become a lawless mess.
Did it actually get taken down? I know the plans were laid but I didn't know that they had actually moved forward with that.
@@TheDCShow0 I spoke too soon. It has not been removed yet. It is destined to be move to the Schuyler family plot in Albany RUral Cem. at a cost of 40 thousand dollars. That cost has held up the move.
Albany, NY is a terrible City. Loaded with Drugs and Crime and obviously ran by Liberal Idiots. The taxes are outrageous and you need a paid body guard for your kid to go to school. Better think twice before going out after dark. As you would expect, Albany is loaded with generational welfare and suck the system dry ghettos. As far as parking your car, you can forget that, no matter where you park you are sure to get a ticket for something. Trades people avoid working in Albany as the permit costs will knock your socks off. Most Licensed Plumbers will not even work in Albany as the cost of the graft is beyond belief. Of course the City will tell you that all the permits fees are necessary to protect businesses and homeowners of what they refer to as shoddy work. In reality, the money is used to grease the palms of the many many crooked politicians that have a strangle hold on the City. Rather than repair streets and roads, tax money is being drained by the many derelicts who occupy the City. The downtown areas around the Capital are ghettos with garbage everywhere on the streets and sidewalks. The homeless are everywhere as well. Under just about every bridge you’ll find an array of various sleeping arrangements. Personally, I avoid going anywhere near the City of Albany.
Very nice job.... could be such a great city.... it’s got the bones.... I’ve been waiting 18 years.... tiny little increments better.... needs a new vision-leadership
I definitely agree, I think that there will be better days ahead without question. Making changes to 787 could be a game-changer in my opinion.
Madison Ave, Lark Street, and New Scotland Ave have amazing restaurants 😊
So true!
Lark street is a dump
Please do more on the South End of Albany. I grew up there in the 60's and 70's it was a great place for kids to grow up back in the day.
I certainly will! I'm fascinated by lower Madison and the remnants of Little Italy down there.
@@TheDCShow0 Any info I can provide to help please let me know.
Albany is the new name given to the Dutch city of Beverwijck in the 1660's
I love my home ❤️
Love the enthusiasm!
Albany should be a hub. To the north you have the Adirondacks, Saratoga, and Montreal . To the west you have Rochester, Buffalo and the great lake. To the south are the Ctskill mts. and New York city. To the east is mass., Vermont and Boston. Tht why it is a hub for the northeast.
Yea I totally agree, that’s exactly the model Albany should be envisioned through
Precisely why I chose to move here. I really like it so far.
Ya lost me when you mentioned dinasaur barbecue. Lol
Ok I did make a video about Troy and refrained from mentioning it the entire time.
I currently live in Fort Wayne Indiana. Is Albany a governmental experimental town???
Shout out to Fort Wayne, where I live now. I spent four years in Albany for school.
bro, you do know the Amtrak used to stop at the Delaware & Hudson building before SUNY took it over? The Amtrak runs on the same raillines and the rail lines are still there west of the I-787 roadbed. Take a look. The raillines actually go INTO the D&H bldg(now SUNY Headquarters). And if you are old enough you can remember that part of State Street and North Pearl are hollow underneath like New York City. The train tunnels under North Pearl Street are still there. If you are in the bldg on the corner of Pearl and State they have fresco paintings under the soundproofing when it was a station on one of them railroad companies.
The reason the Amtrak station is in Rennselaer is because that too was a government project to eliminate urban blight. Back in the 1970s and 1980s Rennselaer was an incredibly poor city. There were decades of poor white families in Rennselaer City and County that resembled what you would see in West Virginia or Kentucky. East Greenbush never existed. Real estate developers made it up to sell new housing without the negative afflicition of calling it Rennselaer.
That's really interesting, I did not know that! I had no idea East Greenbush was created out of thin air like that. It's also really interesting to hear about the tunnels underneath Albany. When I make a better Albany video I will definitely highlight these things.
@@TheDCShow0 If you look at State Street where it bisects Pearl St and separates North Pearl from South Pearl there is a hill. The hill is only there because there are tracks laid under Pearl Street going North and then under State St going towards the River then crossing over a little bit south into Rennselar towards NYC. The train platform was so long it extended all the way to Pearl Street and Livingston Avenue. If you go there you will see a sealed off abandoned tunnel entrance for passengers, like a NY or London subway entrance. It was flooded with water to the roof last time I looked, sometime in the 90s. That Amtrak station in Rennselaer didnt come into use until the early 1980s.
What is now Bank of America was Fleet Bank then Norstar Bancorp then a bunch of other banks but that building was the train station on State and North Pearl. Go in the lobby and look at the ceiling. Union Station was om Broadway across from the federal courthouse. Most of these bldgs had an underground arcade that connected the bldgs and allowed you to move through without ever coming outside to deal with inclement weather.
The bldg across the street the shiny black one on the corner lf State and South Pearl also had rails under it. Dont know if they are still there because that bldg is new(like it was built in 1988? around that time). The previous bldg, I believe Union Railroad Company, was demolished to make space for the Union National Bank bldg, later called OnBank(after merging with some bank from Syracuse, Onondaga National Bank & Trust), dont know what is called now. Many railroad companies got out of transportation and into insurance, banking and real estate as a better investment.
All that area was blighted back in the 1980s. The area where the Key Bank bldg is and that arena on South Pearl. Both sides of the street were just closed store fronts and failed businesses and abandoned bldgs. That is also why the center roadways that run into the ESP are sealed. They were supposed to pass through the complex and merge with Northern Blvd which would have had an elevated highway and bring you to Livingston Ave to continue onto I-90 or I-87. There was also a spur planned for Washington Avenue that would have had a that would have connected with SR-85. Look at the maps and see how I-87 exit 24 runs parallel to Washington Avenue. That plan would have required alot of those old brick homes to be demolished as well as a portion of Washington Park
Saratoga Springs IS. NOT. A.TOWN! It is a chartered city incorporated in 1915 when they merged both the Village and Town of Saratoga Springs.
But there is a town of Saratoga, which frankly may be where the confusion stemmed from
I live in Selkirk but my dad has had a store on Delaware ave for 34 years!
Which store? What did it sell?
@@andre1987eph bridgeford hardware right across from the CVS. Near the corner of Delaware and stanwix
The railroad was not a means to bypass the canal. the railroad actually started as a canal company and the trains pulled barges on it. Most of Albany county in the capital District was made up of Watervliet. Port Schuyler and the Watervliet Arsenal played a big role in the local history. Watervliet was also called Gibbonsville and West Troy throughout its history. The changes in the lines of this city splitting up into the other cities towns and villages plays a bigger role in Albany history’s than the city itself
What’s your source on the railroad fact? Are you talking about the Albany Schenectady railroad or just railroads in general?
@@TheDCShow0 I’m talking about the d&h canal company mainly. Sorry if I’m not 100% accurate. Most of my knowledge is from digging up old artifacts and reading about them. I also have family who worked on the railroad in more recent times. There are remnants of the old canals if you look hard enough.
So what famous people went to SUNY Albany?
My mom went to high school with Jimmy Fallon, drove by his house a lot going into my grandmas old neighborhood as a kid, his parents sold it a few years ago I believe.
That’s awesome! It’s nice to see a hometown guy make it big
BORN AND RAISED BABY
Excellent
Rambling (mention of Dinosaur Barbecue in a history piece), disorganized (jump to Troy, back to Albany, then Schenectady all in 15 seconds), factually a disaster (Empire State Plaza was built in 60s by then Governor Rockefeller not in mid 70s.).
You had the making of a good piece and botched it, man.
bullet points man! you are all over the road in just the 1st 3 minutes
I know I know, for this one I just went off the top of my head and that definitely isn't the most organized. Check out my other videos for some better organization
10:07 LMAO I work in that “meh” building. As a former architecture student those designs are hideous
I grew up on Yates street ...
Pronounced: Rennslaar! I been corrected many times! Lol.
Harvey Milk went to SUNY Albany you should have mentioned that they made a movie about the man
That's an awesome fact. I will now share this with friends and family.
Also, the location of the SUNY Offices (G&H Railroad Building) was the spot where the Albany Plan of Union was signed in 1755 by Ben Franklin and all of the other colonial delegates
And in the 1600s there was a battle between Dutch soldiers and Native Americans where Lincoln Park is today
Hey man, there's a few things you got wrong and I wasn't gonna say anything but then you went and dissed my mayor. Everybody loves Jerry, don't insult his legacy. I'd also like to mention that GE got approval by the government to dump all that waste in the Hudson but they forced to pay for it anyway. Props to the info about Walmart I didn't know it was the biggest. Something you left out I thought you should mention is that Rensselaer was once a part of Albany
Do you have a source for the fact about Rensselaer being a part of Albany? Also I can’t remember what I said about him but it was probably a facetious remark.
Hi Dear Brother how are you?💐💐💐
Not bad all things considered.
Hey I live there
Nice
Although Mayor Erastus Corning 2nd's legacy was considerable questionable when he was part as a democratic machine run by Daniel O'Connor, but he wasn't corrupt at all.
The machine was extremely corrupt and being part of it was being part of corruption. It undermined the democratic process and created a condition that allowed Corning to be mayor for over 40 years
THE NUMBER 1 CITY ON MY LIST AS THE WORST CITY I EVER LIVED IN!
Count yourself lucky
Check out the crime rate in Troy and Albany......very high (especially Albany for 2020)
I agree that they are high. Sometimes it's helpful to look more closely at the crime rates of cities. It's usually the case that some neighborhoods have very high crime rates while other neighborhoods have virtually no crime. Cities like Chicago and New Orleans are known for their high crime rates, and yet are favorable with tourists because it's easy to avoid crime-ridden areas. Crime is a problem but it isn't something that should prohibit people from enjoying cities like Albany.
I was from Albany. It's a Democratic city. We had longest term mayor in US history Rastis Corning the Bastard was mayor for over 50 years. But it's still my home City.
Yeah it is a big democratic city, but that's sort of the case everywhere these days. Erastus Corning is a really fascinating guy, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a video about him as he did serve longer than any other US mayor in a major city. The politicians in Albany might not always be the most inspiring but we make it work anyway.
@@TheDCShow0 my aunt and uncle had a large funeral home in Albany and she was President of the board of Education for the city. I knew Corning well. I could tell you true stories about him
More like a king I would say
Rather a two terms mayor!
Rensselaer is not part of the Capital District
Do you mean the city of Rensselaer? That would be pretty hard to argue. On the other hand if you were talking about Hoosick falls, you might have a point.
It most certainly is. The capital district consists of Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington Counties. The Tri-City is Albany, Schenectady, and Troy (Rensselaer, Co.)
@@i420i420 This is more in line with my understanding.
Even Hudson NY is considered part of the Capital Region
Could you comment on Latham?
What about Latham?
It’s named after a land developer
@@DownbeatThe Nice latham comment
Slow your pointer down, your all over the place. Good information,
It’s really not that hard... it means taking on the public service unions.... 80-90% of the budget is for fat over generous pensions life long Cadillac health care plans, retirements after 20 years etc etc it’s really pretty easy to find the money..... it’s pretty hard to change the establishment as too many in Albany are living too high on the public hog....time to pop back to financial reality.... we are Greece without the nice beaches weather and olive oil
North pearl street I almost walked into mario cuomo delivering water to nys senate there.arbor hill was interesting.the police weren't cool at all.pyx 106 they still a rock station?
Yes Pyx 106 is still a classic rock station as far as I'm aware! Very cool that you almost ran into Mario Cuomo, I wish I had an experience like that.
Yup, still a station....and still playing the same greatest hits you were hearing years ago.
The Iroquois Confederacy was founded in the area at Cohoes Falls. Ben Franklin hoped to use that as a pattern for uniting the Colonies.
How are the ladies there?
They are the finest in the land, don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.
The European stolen the Native's Native's American land.
We know. But you’re going to have to get over it.
Y so much teeth suckin mate? 👀
Pretty bad
Thanks!
Too much mouth smacking ( distracting in narrating ) but otherwise informative.
Thanks, I was new to the youtube game when I made this, I think I've improved since.
The video was supposed to be about Albany, not Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga, and the rest of upstate New York. You never even mentioned the Guilderland or Hill Country areas, all in Albany county. You stumbled on historical dates. Did you do any research at all? Your camera skills were poor, too much jumpy movement. In other words, a waste of 22.54.
Did you watch the entire thing hoping for a mention of Guilderland? Sorry you didn't like the video, remember you're talking about a video that I put up on youtube with no experience, not a video that I produced with a budget or something.
And no I literally did no research before making this video.
This video is really helpful for me. I am creating a Vampire the Masquerade campaign for my ttrpg group set in Albany and this has been a really insightful video.