{"nrhp_refnum":"76001202","name":"Albany Institute of History and Art","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"135 Washington Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Albany","county":"Albany County","state":"NY","lat":42.65567151100004,"lon":-73.76025477599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-07-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A museum complex at 135 Washington Avenue in Albany, New York, made up of the neoclassical Institute building of 1907 and the adjoining Beaux Arts Rice House of 1894-95, on about one and two-thirds acres near Capitol Hill.","why_significant":"The Albany Institute, founded in 1791, is described as the second oldest museum in the United States and the oldest scientific organization in New York State. The Rice House is the city's only free-standing Beaux Arts mansion, designed by Richard Morris Hunt and his son. The Institute building was designed by Albert W. Fuller, a prominent Albany architect.","narrative":"Two linked buildings at Washington Avenue and Dove Street in Albany house the Albany Institute of History and Art. The Institute building, finished in 1907 to designs by architect Albert W. Fuller, is a two-story neoclassical structure of light brick with Indiana limestone quoins and a belt course. Beside it stands the Rice House, built in 1894-95 for William Gorham Rice by Richard Morris Hunt and his son Richard H. Hunt. Faced in yellow Roman brick, it is the city's only free-standing Beaux Arts mansion, and its original stairway, mahogany mantels and library survive. The Institute acquired the house in 1966. The organization traces its origins to a 1791 agricultural and arts society whose first president was Robert R. Livingston. It is described as the second oldest museum in the country and the oldest scientific organization in New York State. Joseph Henry read his first paper on electromagnetism there in 1829. Later mergers produced the present institution.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Albert W. Fuller, Richard Morris Hunt, and Richard H. Hunt","architectural_style":"Neoclassical (Institute building); Beaux Arts (Rice House); Renaissance Revival noted in the state data sheet","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a museum, library and offices; the Rice House retains its original interior features and a circa 1940 addition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:38.685145-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/76001202.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001202/428014fcbd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001202/428014fcbd-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:Albany_Institute_of_History_and_Art_Panorama.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:Albany_Institute_of_History_and_Art_Panorama.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100004669","name":"Washington Avenue Corridor Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/washington-avenue-corridor-historic-district-100004669/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316153","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany_Institute_of_History_%26_Art","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4709330"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/albany-county/albany-institute-of-history-and-art-76001202/"}