New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-05
THE OLD CAPITOL.
AN HISTORIC BUILDING DEMOLISHED.
THE RISE AND FALL oE A POLITICAL LANDMARK
IT'S HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS.


,yRox A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBUNE.l
ArBAsY. Aug. 4.-The old Capitol has re-.
treated into history. To-day finds it much a
thing of the past as the megatherum. The grace
full goddess with tho sword the scales and the band
aged eyes VINO answered to she namo of Justice ha,
been helped down from her proud position on the
dome Of the cnpols and will probably spend bel
future among the curiosities of Geological Hall
The pole from which the flag used to boat. proclaim
ing to whom it might concern that tho Legislature
was in session, has stretched Its shattered length
along the ground. The flag long ago was perma-
nentiy hauled down-and the man that did the deed
was not shot on the spot. The mysterious stone
sun-dial that decorated the southeast corner OF
the building no longer battles the curiosity OF the
stranger dong the sights Of Albany. The lobbies
through which the black horse cavalry loved to
charge, and where, II rumor be corrent, consider
able trafficKiDg was sometimes done, bave Them
selves come under the hammer with the moro deco
rous portions of the venerable pile The floors that
ECHOED to the tread If not of either Brutus" Of
other strong public characters of wide patriotic
renown, have been ripped mp and thrown pell-men
in Pile by more or less sacrilegious hands. The
striking ful-length portrait OF George Washington
representing him as standing with hands very much
Outsretched upon carpet whose horid pattern ID
suggestive of sliced watermelon, has disappeared
from the west wall of the Assembly Chamber back
of the Speakers desk. And the Speakers desk Is
gone and with it the rest of the furniture and other
appointments of Senate, Assembly aud Executive
Chambers and Of all the other rooms, great and
ANAL, In the building The old woman who erst
did sell pies aud fried cakes in the main hall has
removed those aids to indigestion to more eligible
quarters There 10 no office-seeker upstairs, down
stairs nor yet in the basement. The janitor has
gope.s In fine. nothing now remains of the old Cap
itol but ITS naked skeleton, and as write even
that sold to all Albany builder for $1,000. is rap
IDLY being pulled apart ana carted away. Before
these lines are we'll in print nothing will be left of
this the most interesting and suggestive Of the
public buildings of Nsw-York, except its site and
its memory Its site will be included in the noble
park which will stretch In front of the new Capitol
Its memory will doubtless endure as long as our
Commcnw wealth endnres.
1t lie but poetic justice just now to recall the sal
lent points in the history of the old Capitol sad to
glance at tine associations hich arise ut the men-
tion of its name Thus much the public tunctionsry
may well claim as It's obituary. On the oath OF
June, 1871, while attending the exercises that
wont with the laying OF the cornerstone of tho
new Capitol, your correspondent met hoary-
headed citizen of Albany who sixty five years ear
ier had witnessed laying of the cornerstone of
the old Capitol. The veterans memory on the in
teresting Joint was, regret to say neither vivid
nor copious. He recollecrsd that the April day in
1906 when the ceremony took place was fair he
recollected that large crowd was present; he re-
collected seeing Philip s. Van Rensselaer, who
was then Mayor of Albany. lay the cornerstone.
= square, level and true" I pressed the old man
Cor some details, but in vain. He had exhausted
his store of information. Nor have I Jared much
better at the hands of the enterprsng ne 6spapers
of 1906. None of them seemed to take much in
terest In Commissioners The fullest report OF the
ceremony is given by The Albany Daily Advertiser,
and is about rs terse as private telegram.
quote IL entire:
On Wednesday, the Esd of April, the cornerstone
of the State House was laid by Hon. Philip Van
Rensselaer, IN presence of the Chancellor Judges of
the Supreme Court. members of the Corporation.
State House Commissio ners, and other citizens.
The site which this edice is to be erected IL at
the head of Statess, on the west side OF the public
eQuare 1t 10 to be built OF stone. one hundred feet
by eighty. on an improved plan. embracing mu en-
elegance with great convenience and Durability.
Perhaps as interesting in its way as anything in
the history of the building is the bill that passed
the Legislature In 1904 providing for It's erection.
few Gays ago. with the hearty concurrence of all
good citizens, the final blow was given to the lot
terry business of this country. For many years
public sentiment has borne heavily against it, so
thai its existence has been about as precarious
that VI faro. But In 1S04-in tue good old times
the people of the State of New-York represented
In Senate and Assembly, saw no improperly In
being indebted to lottery companies for portion of
the money to meet the expenses of erecting Cap
toll The bill referred to made 1t incumbent upon
the managers of certain lotteries. then in full blast
in this State to cause to be raised by lottery.
81 00O ana to pay over that sum 80 raised to the
Capitol Commissioners for the building fund For
back little further than this lottery -condon.ng
BILL la 1903 the Legislature. then in session in
what was known as tho Stadt Haus" in Albany,
was memorislized by the officials of that city for
State aid IN the erection Of new State and Court
House. The edifice which they purpossd to super
seds il described as having been @ an ordinary
four-story building with dormer windows and the
Albany gable ends.r It stood upon the northeast
corner of Brc adway and Hudson ave.-a fact the
memory of which is preserved upon q tablet that
now adorns the front Of the building occupying
that corner. The petitioners based their request
upon tho allegation that the Legislature needed
moro room than coula be furnished 1T in the build
Ing then In use and that Broadway had become so
noisy a. to render it difficult to transact business
there Another clause In the petition contained the
offer Of an eligible site coupled with the promise
that il the Legislature returned 9 favorable re-
sponso the stadt Haus would be sold and the pro-
ceeds devoted to the ercct.onof its successor. the
Legislative committees to which this petition was
furnished promptly reported favorably upon 1t.
hey recommended that the Legislature appropri-
ats $40 900. and that In that sum put with the
money raised by the sale of the old building proved
insu 1icient to pay for the new one, that Albany
city and county should be allowed to raise the fur
Their sum of 5000 by taxation.
The report was adopted, and at the following see
sion the lottery-blseding bill was passed. BY its
terms John Taylor. Daniel Hale, Philip S. Van
Rensselaer,, Simeon De Witt and Nicholas N. Quack-
snbush were named ~ the bullding commissioners
Five capable trustworthy and widely known men.
Mr.. Taylor served as Governor of the State for