The Boss and the Waterfront - 8/15

How the City Beautiful Almost Came to Albany

A Luncheon Talk by John Pipkin, Professor of Geography and Planning, University at Albany

The City Beautiful movement sprang up around the turn of the last century as an antidote to urban disorder and unplanned growth. Its key figure was Daniel Burnham, and in addition to monumental visions such as the McMillan Plan for Washington DC (1902) and the Chicago Plan (1909), it produced a wave of advocacy and innovation in cities large and small – including Albany.

Professor John Pipkin of the University at Albany will discuss the effort to introduce the City Beautiful to Albany at a luncheon Wednesday, August 15 at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street. The buffet lunch will begin at 12:00 noon, with the presentation commencing at 12:15 p.m., followed by a question and answer period.

“The Delaware and Hudson Building, completed in 1918 at the foot of State Street hill in Albany, is the most visible reminder of a political struggle over the functions and meanings of public space,” said Dr. Pipkin. “The D&H was an unanticipated outcome of efforts by Republican boss William Barnes to clean up the river front in collusion the railroad companies. The primal struggle between the boss and his critics led to a political debacle. In the resolution, what had been a routine local exercise in graft metamorphosed into an encounter with the City Beautiful. Arnold Brunner (who had worked with Burnham) was hired and produced a plan with Charles Downing Lay, Studies for Albany, in 1914. The plan is a weak effort, but it served its primary purpose, to bestow on Barnes’s machinations the imprimatur of planning expertise and the aura of the City Beautiful.”

The D&H Building was designed by Barnes’ friend, prolific Albany architect Marcus T. Reynolds, whose command of his craft puts to shame the neoclassical orthodoxies of the City Beautiful. After a near brush with demolition in 1972, the building now houses the State University of New York’s central administration offices.

John Pipkin is Distinguished Service Professor of Geography and Planning and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany. His interests are in urban design, urban planning, architectural symbolism, social geography, landscape history, and public space.

The cost for the luncheon and lecture is $25. Reservations are required and may be made by calling the University Club at 518-463-1151. The University Club Foundation, a 501c3 corporation, is presenting this event, which the public is invited to attend. The Foundation was formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901.

The U. Club is closed for summer break until 8/13- you may leave a message on the answering machine to RSVP for this luncheon and pay at the door. OR -- you may now register and prepay online with PayPal!!! Even if you don't have a PayPal account, click the button and use a credit or debit card as a Guest! Please choose the number of guests before you click BUY NOW.

Number of guests

One$25.00 USD Two$50.00 USD Three$75.00 USD Four$100.00 USD

Notes

Liquid Sand and Light - A Story of Stained Glass - Thu. 7/26

A Luncheon Talk by Anthony Anadio, followed by a Guided Tour of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Albany

Call now for reservations! 518-463-1151

For centuries, stained-glass windows in churches have brought together art, nature, science, spirituality, and people. With St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Albany as an example, Anthony Anadio will explain the evolution of glassmaking and the use of stained glass in churches at a luncheon on Thursday, July 26 at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street. The buffet lunch will begin at 12:00 noon, with the presentation followed by a guided tour of the historic church at 107 State Street at 1:00 p.m.

In the 12th century, Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis wrote, “The loveliness of the many-colored gems has called me away from external cares, and worthy meditations have induced me to reflect...” According to Anadio, “Stained-glass windows are quite literally windows to the past that allow us to see a shared American and European sense of beauty and purpose.”

The distinguished history of St. Peter’s Church begins in 1708 when England’s Queen Ann founded a “Chapel of the Onondagas” to bring missionaries to North America and granted land in Albany to build an Anglican Church. The current church was built by Richard Upjohn of New York City, well-known for his Gothic Revival Style, in 1860. His son, Richard M. Upjohn added the impressive bell tower in 1876. The richly decorated interiors include work by leading artists and designers, including windows designed by the English artist Edward C. Burne-Jones and fabricated by the William Morris Company of London in 1880; the chancel windows made by Clayton and Bell of London in 1885; and the rose window over the State Street entrance made by the Tiffany Company in 1892.

Anthony Anadio is a Ph.D. candidate at the University at Albany under the direction of Warren Roberts. He is an adjunct at the University and a faculty member of Empire State College, where he teaches all periods of American and European History. Although much of his work focuses on the arts, Mr. Anadio has a deep interest in the sciences and philosophy, and is very slowly pursuing a career as a documentary filmmaker.

The cost for the luncheon and lecture is $25. Reservations are required and may be made by calling the University Club at 518-463-1151. The University Club Foundation, a 501c3 corporation, is presenting this event, which the public is invited to attend. The Foundation was formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901.

Come to the Cabaret - Friday 7/13

Park Playhouse Night

Cabaret tells the unforgettable story of Sally Bowles and Clifford Bradshaw, who meet at a nightclub in Berlin during the 1930s.

Start at the U. Club for complimentary hors d'oeuvres and drinks on a cash or sign-in basis, and proceed as a group to the "Kit Kat Club" in Albany's historic Washington Park.

Join your friends and neighbors at exclusive cabaret seats at tables around a catwalk built into the stage design. Please feel free to dress as if you're going out to a decadent nightclub in the waning days of the Weimar Republic! Patrons at these seats will be treated to bar service by the cast for one half hour prior to the show and during intermission!

• 5:30 - Meet at the U. Club
• 7:15 - Depart Club for exclusive cabaret seating and bar service
• 8:00 - Wilkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome!
• Intermission - bar service from the cast

Tickets are for this special event are $40 and include a group discount of 10% off the Cabaret Seating price of $20. We must have a group of 20 or more to take advantage of this discount. Please call 518-463-1151 to let us know if you will "Come to the Cabaret" and we'll book the seats!