page_title: Pastures Historic District
section_title: 19th century
hierarchical_section_title: Pastures Historic District / History / 19th century
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of the historic 4th Ward of Albany, New York in 1878 including the Pastures Historic District
context_page_description: The Pastures Historic District is a residential neighborhood located south of downtown Albany, New York, United States. Its 17 acres include all or part of a 13-block area.
  It was originally an area set aside as communal pasture by Albany's city council in the late 17th century and deeded to the Dutch Reformed Church. As the city began to grow following its designation as New York's state capital a century later, it was subdivided into building lots, some of which were developed with small rowhouses. Many open areas remain today, and the houses have not been significantly altered. In 1972 the city designated it as a historic district and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All but two buildings in the district are considered historic.
  One of Albany's busiest neighborhoods in the 19th century, the area fell into decline during the third quarter of the 20th as citizens left the city for the suburbs. Instead of the wholesale demolition of that era's urban renewal programs, the city government attempted to preserve and revitalize the area,
context_section_description: Spencer Stafford, a successful merchant, built 100 Madison Avenue in 1808. It remains the oldest building in the district and one of the oldest in the city. The nearby house at 96 Madison, built three years later, was considered the most elegant private home in the city at that time. Four of the six houses on the row next to it at 82–94 Madison, built after another three years, in 1814, were owned by Union College founder Dudley Walsh. Citizens of more modest means also settled in the Pastures. There were homes of tradesmen, craftsmen and free African Americans as well.
  In the next two decades, stone yards were opened at several locations in the future district. Middle-class citizens continued settling there, joined by carpenters and builders who bought several lots at once, put up a row, lived in one unit and rented out the others. The houses they built, many of which survive on South Ferry between Franklin and Green, introduced the third story, gabled roof and dormer windows to the neighborhood. Joseph C. Yates lived at 96 Madison while he served as governor.
  As building continued into the late 1830s and 1840s, houses reflected an austere Greek Revival style. They were mostly brick laid in Flemish bond primarily, with running and American bond appearing more. Plain pilasters flanked the recessed entrances, with little ornament on the front facades. Newer roofing materials and methods made flat roofs possible. Some frame stores, most since demolished, were constructed in the neighborhood.
  The years before, during and after the Civil War were the last for large-scale building within the Pastures. The neighborhood was getting built up, such that a school was built, and other, newer areas of the city were available. Most new rowhouses replaced earlier frame buildings, with 51–55 Westerlo Street the only significant new grouping. Mixed-use development began to appear, with new houses having commercial space on the first story and living space above. Ornate storefronts survive at 79 South Ferry and 104 Madison. Older houses also saw their facades updated with timely decorations like bracketed cornices, metal lintels and ornate friezes. Third stories were added to some flat-roofed buildings.
  There are a few scattered houses from around the district postdating this period. The ornate brickwork at 77 Westerlo, dating to 1886, stands out in its neighborhood. On the other extreme, the austerity of 68 and 70 Westerlo reflects vernacular applications of early 20th century styles. The greatest change to the district in this period was the conversion of some residences on Madison west of Franklin into stores.
caption: Map of Albany's 4th Ward in 1878. The Pastures was included in this ward.
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