Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company Building
Why it's listed
Rising at the foot of State Street in Albany, this long, arc-shaped office building was constructed between 1914 and 1918 as headquarters for the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. Marcus T. Reynolds designed it with a reinforced concrete and steel frame, granite walls, Gothic stone trim, slate roofing, rows of gabled dormers and a thirteen-story central tower topped by a spire and a weather vane shaped like Henry Hudson's ship, the Half Moon. A six-story addition at the south end was built by the Albany Evening Journal. The building grew out of the 1914 Brunner-Lay city plan, which called for an office block facing a landscaped plaza. Its construction cleared old waterfront buildings, ended State Street with a strong visual focus and screened downtown from the railroad tracks. Most of the rest of that plan was never carried out. Its size and detail have led people to mistake it for the State Capitol. At the time of listing, parts were still in office use and the Evening Journal addition stood vacant.
Significance in brief: The building was the one major element of the 1914 Brunner-Lay city plan for Albany to be carried out, along with the Plaza. It acts as the visual end of State Street and a buffer between the railroad tracks and downtown. It is also noted for its modern concrete and steel structure behind a Gothic exterior.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 72000813, listed March 16, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | The Plaza on State St., Albany |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | March 16, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000813 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1914-1918 |
| Architect / builder | Marcus T. Reynolds (architect) |
| Architectural style | Gothic exterior detailing on a reinforced concrete and steel frame |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and unaltered. Parts are still used by the railroad and private tenants; the Evening Journal addition is described as vacant. |
| Coordinates | 42.64817, -73.74967 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 72000813.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7395015
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.