City of Albany Awarded Grants from Save America's Treasures and Environmental Protection Fund to

ALBANY, NY - Under Mayor Sheehan's leadership, the City of Albany is investing more than $15 million to repair and restore the roof and exterior of its historic City Hall, and is proud to announce it has leveraged a $1,500,000 Save America's Treasures grant from the National Parks Service and a $750,000 grant from the New York State's Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's Environmental Protection Fund grant program. The Save America's Treasures grant program, through the Historic Preservation Fund, is administered by the U.S. Department of Interior.

Repair and replacement work includes replacing terra cotta tile roofing, salvaging and reinstalling roof tiles in select locations; resetting, repairing, resurfacing, and replacing select stone units on the façade and masonry-built roofs; replacing sheet metal roofing, flashing, and trim; restoring clock faces; replacing lighting protection system components at the tower; and some insulation work.

The City anticipates initiating the project this summer. A contractor has been selected through a competitive bidding process and will mobilize in the coming weeks. The project is expected to be completed within 24 to 36 months of construction kick-off and will result in the temporary closure of Corning Park behind City Hall during the construction and some temporary parking and sidewalk closures around City Hall. Those closures will be posted in the vicinity of the impacted areas.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, "In 1885, American Architect and Building News named Albany City Hall one of 'The Best Ten Buildings in the United States.' Since then, Albany City Hall has been a beacon of pride for our residents and visitors alike. Thanks to the funding from the National Parks Service and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, we are able to restore the roof and exterior to ensure this building is ready to serve our city for many more centuries to come."

Albany's City Hall is a building of extremely high architectural significance. During the lifetime of its architect, Henry Hobson Richardson, Albany City Hall was widely acknowledged as one of his best and most characteristic buildings. Richardson is American's first architect with an international reputation recognizing his innovation in bringing about a uniquely American architecture. City Hall was built following an 1880 fire that destroyed its predecessor, an 1830s Greek Revival building by prominent Albany architect Philip Hooker. H. H. Richardson, who at that time was at the height of his renown, was working on the New York State Capitol. The Richardsonian Romanesque building-Richardson's only City Hall project-was completed in 1883 and remodeled in the early 20th century. Due to shortages of materials caused by America's involvement in the first world war, the remodeling was not completed until 1920. Since that time, only minor changes have been made to the building.

Since it was completed in 1919, the roof of City Hall has only received piecemeal repairs and is now at a point where continued repairs will be of diminishing merit. Defective detailing and improper material selection are evident on the original roof, but numerous expedient short-term repairs have not resolved the underlying issues. The red terra cotta roof tiles remain in good condition, but their fasteners have failed, and the tiles have become displaced in areas where leaking of the sheet-metal flashings has occurred. The use of caulk in the joints of the main tower roof is not a long-lasting solution for an inaccessible location. Its failure has led to water ingress and allowed for extensive plant growth on the roof surface and deterioration of underlying masonry ties.

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