Today, a stroll in this neighborhood of brick and brownstone homes begs this sort of historical imagining. Read the little plaques that say who built what and when. Over the centuries, New York's capital has been home to powerful political families, celebrated literary figures, and architecture dating back to the earliest European settlers. When America was celebrating its bicentennial, Albany was gearing up for 300. Harlem in the 1920s.
State archives keep the largest collection of movie scripts anywhere.
Cherry Hill, a Colonial-style home to one family from 1787 to 1963, includes furniture and textiles from five generations. Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Georgian architecture, home to Revolutionary War General Philips Schuyler's family. First Church Albany, founded in 1642, is the second-oldest church in New York with the nation's oldest pulpit. Historic St. Mary's, cornerstone laid in 1797. Inside are elaborate paintings and sculpture everywhere.