Arizona weekly citizen., 1893-04-08
HISTORIC ALBANY.
The Pretty City on the Hill
 Described.
A Westerner's Idea of New York s Capital Told in a Concise
 Style.

| About 6 D. m. the day boat from New
 York arrives at Albany with the loca
 resident, our fellow resident in the more
 remote States and Territories and the
 foreign tourist, who while enjoying the
 music of the morning and afternoon
 concerts takes this means of seeing the scenery along the American Rhine.
 The most conspicuous building in the city is the Capitol which stands at the top of an exceedingly steep hill, which one realizes in the effort to reach its summit. It is one of the finest and most
 expensive edifices constructed by the State. The style of architecture is Renaissance. It is built eff Maine granite. The corner stone being laid June 24, 1871. More than s2,000,00O were expended alone on the foundations and basement walls, s2O,OO0,OO0 is the cost of the completed structure includ- | ing the land. 290 feet is the with of the | front which stands toward the E EIst. 390 feet the width of the north and south sides standing respectively on Washing | ton avenue and State street. Three acres IS the area covered by the outer walls. Guides in uniform stand at the entrance to conduct visitors through, which they do polite by not accepting tee as they are not allowed to receive it. The door frames and windows are I oF ha ha a wooden laid over brick arches. The floors in the corridors and vestibules are encoustic tiles on squares of marble. 4 similar wains-cotting is on the walls. The stone and marble in the structure 1 is largely from different parts of the l United States. The Grand Staircase is solid stone. The coat worn by Elmer Ellsworth from Massachusetts, when he | fell at Fort Sumpter in the Civil War, the first one to fall, and the hole where the ball went through is exhibited here. The inner rooms look into an extensive courtyard having four granite fronts which are constructed almost as elabo- rately as the exterior. At the top IS 1 the arms of the Van Renssaler, Tomp- | Jay ard Clinton families of which mem bers have been connected with State | history. ca the first foer are the ex- ecutive apartments, the room of the Secretary of the State and other State offices Toward the center of the room of the Assembly chamber are four Scotch granite columns, five feet in diameter, from the capitals of these | 0 crlumns groiued arches spring which support a cream colored ceiling of sand
 stone ornamented with carving inlaid with gold red and blue. The lunette over the arcaded windows on the north side is filled with a painting, The Flight of Night by Hunt. In the lunette on the south side is the,companion piece The Voyage of the Discoverer by the same artist. In the parlor of the As semb'y is a beautiful mantel made of marble from East Tennessee. The l de ks and chairs of the speaker, clerk and members of the Assembly and the | railings are in solid mahogany. The ceiling of the Senate Chamber is oak and the walls are Tennessee marble, | Mexican onyx and gilt leather. In this room elaborately. carved columns sup port recessed galleries. The doorways and fireplaces are marble. The open | ings of the tirepleces are six feet high and more in breadth. A very cherful effect is produced when they are filled with cracking logs and t,e flames are reflected on the sides of the room or | the polished marble and opyx. During the session of the Assembly and Senate there is much activity within the Capitol wal. Many svisitors purchase sou veuIr spoon here as remembrance, oi which the design is pretty.
 T City Hall is free treatment of Gothic architecture from Southern France. It is built of redlsh granite trimmed with Long Meadow brown stone. There are twelve stories in its tower. Next to the Capitol 1t is the most attractive building in Albany.
 The Executive Mansion is large, three story, brick house with pleasant piazza on one sIde. It is situated on Eagle street and was purchased of the late Robert l.. Johnson by the State. Governors Tilden, Cornell, Cleveland 1 and Hill have resided there and Cover nor Flower is the present occupant.
 The i ;bany State Normal School IS a beautiful building where many girls are prepared for teachers. It faces Washington Park on N llett street, cost Sl40,00 and IS built of freestone from the old Capitol, and Philadelphia brick. | Oth-r schools are the Albany High school and St. Agnes, A gothic structure. Instruction is given therein language, science and other studies taught in high school. The latter is a girls school un
 der Episcopslian management. It was | founded for the education of Christian women by Bishop Doane in 1870. The students are trained both intellectually and morally. Some have been sent there whose relatives found them diff
 ficult to manage, and they have been | developed into noble women.
 Old residences of the city are the Schuyler and Van Rsnssalaer mansions. | The Schuyler House is on the flat above the city. Colonel Peter Schuyler the first Mayor of Albany resided here. He was Indian Commissioner and took four Indian chiefs of the Mohawk tribe to England and presented them to Queen Anne. Another enecdote connected
 with the family Is, after Gen. Burgoynes surrendered at Saratoga, he was bospi- tably received at this house and gwen the best apartment in it, witch so af- fecied hlm that with tears and deep sigh he said: "Indeed this is doing much for 6 man who has ravsged their lands and burnt their dwellings" To
 l759 the house was destroyed by fire but rebuilt immediately on the old walls. The Van Renssalaer Manor House was built in 1863 of brick from
 Holland, An addition was made in TAO in which are 40 or 50 cur ous tiles on
 which scripture scenes are represented. From the first reformed church in
 Albany pr. Thomas k. Vermily came in
 1889 to become one of the pastors of the
 Collegiate church of New York where