Washington Park Historic District
Why it's listed
Washington Park is a ninety-acre public park in central Albany, together with the streets of houses that face it. The district takes in Madison Avenue, Willett Street, State Street and South Lake Avenue, along with Thurlow Terrace and Englewood Place. Work on the park began in 1870 on land set aside for public use since 1686, and plans were prepared by engineers Bogart and Cuyler after Frederick Law Olmsted was consulted. The eastern end holds formal promenades and an old parade ground, while the western end has rolling meadows, a lake and a 1929 Spanish-style lakehouse. Memorials include a bronze statue of Robert Burns and a Civil War monument. Over sixty brick and brownstone townhouses line State Street, including works linked to H. H. Richardson and Stanford White. The district was valued for its unity of scale, materials and period, and for a surviving Nineteenth Century park design, despite some demolished mansions and a few modern intrusions.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the park as a leading intact example of a Nineteenth Century municipal garden, laid out with the inspiration of Frederick Law Olmsted by engineers Bogart and Cuyler. Together with the continuous facades of Nineteenth Century townhouses on all sides, it is described as Albany's finest remaining urban environmental asset. Houses by architects H. H. Richardson and Stanford White add architectural interest.
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 72000818, listed June 19, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Washington Park and surrounding properties, Albany |
|---|---|
| County | Albany County |
| Listed | June 19, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000818 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Park plans by Bogart and Cuyler, engineers (with Frederick Law Olmsted consulted); houses by H. H. Richardson and Stanford White, among others |
| Architectural style | Nineteenth Century townhouses and rowhouses, with Victorian residences and a 1929 Spanish-style lakehouse |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture, Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Park is no longer meticulously maintained; many houses are divided into apartments and doctors' offices, a few large houses on Thurlow Terrace and Englewood Place are gone, and one or two mid-twentieth century facades break the building line. Condition marked good/fair. |
| Coordinates | 42.65719, -73.77416 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 72000818.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7972111
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.