{"nrhp_refnum":"96000559","name":"Harmanus Bleecker Library","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"161 Washington Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Albany","county":"Albany County","state":"NY","lat":42.55637588400003,"lon":-73.76353805499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-05-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Classical Revival library building at 161 Washington Avenue in Albany, New York, completed in 1924 and designed by Albert W. Fuller and William Robinson.","why_significant":"It was the first building in the Albany Public Library System used exclusively as a library. It is also an outstanding local example of Classical Revival architecture and a reminder of Harmanus Bleecker's philanthropy, since it was built with funds from his estate through the Young Men's Association.","narrative":"Completed in 1924 at 161 Washington Avenue in Albany, this two-story brick library follows the Classical Revival style. It has cast stone trim, a balustraded roofline, keyed round-arched openings, engaged pilasters and a projecting, elaborate entrance bay on Dove Street. Inside, oak trim, marble wall cladding, terrazzo floors and a mezzanine floor of translucent glass panels survive. Albert W. Fuller and William Robinson designed it. Funds came from the estate of Harmanus Bleecker, a lawyer, congressman and minister to the Netherlands who left his property to benefit Albany. The Young Men's Association sold its earlier Bleecker Hall to pay for a building devoted only to library use, and in December 1924 it presented the library to the city, marking the start of the Albany Public Library System. It was among the last works of Fuller, whose practice in Albany spanned more than fifty years. The building is regarded as a local landmark of public education and civic architecture.","period_of_significance":"1923-24","architect_builder":"Albert Fuller, William Robinson","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals / Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as vacant/not in use; the historic function was library and the most recent function was a specialty store. Interior spaces and finishes are largely intact.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:50.112927-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/96000559.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000559/8369b25d6d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000559/8369b25d6d-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:Harmanus_Bleecker_Library_1.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:Harmanus_Bleecker_Library_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316237","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmanus_Bleecker_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5659058"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/albany-county/harmanus-bleecker-library-96000559/"}