{"nrhp_refnum":"72000814","name":"Old Post Office","other_names":["United States Government Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE corner of Broadway and State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Albany","county":"Albany County","state":"NY","lat":42.64907907700007,"lon":-73.75026035699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-01-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A granite federal government building at the northeast corner of Broadway and State Street in Albany, New York, built between the late 1870s and 1883 in an Italian Renaissance design, originally the city's main post office and United States Government Building.","why_significant":"The building resulted from an 1872 act of Congress to provide federal facilities in Albany, a hub for river, canal and railroad transport. Financial difficulties forced a switch from an elaborate Gothic plan to the present Italian Renaissance design. It is largely unaltered and, with the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Building and the First Trust Company, forms one of the major urban compositions in Albany.","narrative":"Standing at the northeast corner of Broadway and State Street in Albany, this granite building was erected as the city's United States Government Building and post office. Congress authorized it on March 21, 1872, partly because Albany sat on river, canal and railroad routes. Costs rose well past the $350,000 limit, reaching $627,148 including the site, and the shortfall led designers to drop an elaborate Gothic scheme for the present Italian Renaissance design. The cornerstone was laid on May 7, 1879, with Masonic ceremonies. Revenue officials moved in during December 1883, the post office followed on January 1, 1884, and other government offices joined later. Edward Ogden, George H. Sear and Walter Dickson oversaw construction. Load-bearing masonry walls, slate mansard roofs and a central light well define the structure, and both interior and exterior remain largely unaltered. Now known as the Albany Federal Building, it still serves federal offices and anchors a notable group of buildings in downtown Albany.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":"Edward Ogden (superintendent after the foundation was laid); George H. Sear (put up the basement); Walter Dickson (completed superintendence of construction)","architectural_style":"Italian Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition; continues to function as a hub of Federal Government activity in Albany, known as the Albany Federal Building. Interior and exterior appear unaltered except for utility improvements.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:38.542986-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/72000814.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000814/2494cd7189-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000814/2494cd7189-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire portfolio, click here.@thatmattwade This image is protected by copyright! If you would like to use it, please read this first.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Post_Office_Albany_Pano_2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire portfolio, click here.@thatmattwade This image is protected by copyright! If you would like to use it, please read this first.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Post_Office_Albany_Pano_2.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"80002579","name":"Downtown Albany Historic District (Additional Documentation)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/downtown-albany-historic-district-additional-documentation-80002579/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316303","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Post_Office_(Albany,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084762"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/albany-county/old-post-office-72000814/"}