page_title: First Church in Albany (Reformed)
section_title: Building
hierarchical_section_title: First Church in Albany (Reformed) / Building
caption_attribution_description: English: Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) photo of interior of First Church in Albany, NY, USA
context_page_description: The First Reformed Church, also known as First Church in Albany or North Dutch Church, is located at North Pearl and Orange streets in Albany, New York, United States. It is a member congregation of the Reformed Church in America. The building was designed by Philip Hooker and built in the period of 1797-1799. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
  It was established in 1642 to serve the Dutch inhabitants of Fort Orange, the adjacent village of Beverwyck, and the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck in general. It is the second oldest congregation in the state of New York, and the oldest upstate. The current church, designed by Philip Hooker, is the fourth building and the oldest church in Albany. The pulpit was imported from the Netherlands in 1656 and is the oldest pulpit in the United States.
  Shortly after construction, a memorial service was held for Alexander Hamilton. Theodore Roosevelt attended services here while Governor, and Queen Wilhelmina visited the church during its 300th anniversary year. The church has been through many renovations since it was built.
context_section_description: The church is located at the southwest corner of the intersection a few blocks north of downtown Albany. The terrain slopes very gently towards the Hudson River 1,000 ft (300 m) to the east, and more sharply upwards to the southwest and northwest, reflecting the ravine that gave the nearby Sheridan Hollow neighborhood its name. Open space begins to break up the urban fabric here, in contrast to the denser development of downtown.
  On its north is Clinton Square, the southern and eastern end of the Clinton Avenue Historic District, also listed on the National Register. The only contributing property to that district also listed individually on the Register, the Palace Theatre, is a block to the north, across Clinton (U.S. Route 9). To the northeast is Wallenburg Park, filling the block between North Pearl, Clinton, Broadway and Orange. Across North Pearl is a small grassy traffic island separating Orange and the onramps to Interstate 787, which runs along the river. Some high-rises, including the headquarters of the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, are located next to the freeway. On the south is the church's parking lot.
  The building itself is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond, except for the portion on the front of the main block, laid in common bond. In some places the bricks are three and a half rows deep. The church is six bays wide and two stories high. The east (front) facade is topped on either side by identical three-stage towers.
  All windows on that facade, on the two stories of the towers and the larger one in the center of the main block, are stained glass, trimmed with stone. The tripartite main entrance has a stone face and arcade of three round arches supported by smooth columns with Corinthian capitals. Behind them the actual entryways are recessed. At the top of the stone there is a decorative cornice with "Reformed Dutch Church 1642" carved into it.
  Above the central window is another decorative cornice along the gabled roofline, corbeled by a miniature version of the arcade. At the apex of the gable is a weathervane. The roof itself is clad in copper.
  The two windows in the lower section of each tower are themselves slightly recessed in a round arch laid in splayed brick. Atop the arch is a single string course of projecting brick. A simpler molded cornice sets off the beginning of the towers.
  The first stage of the towers has a slightly projecting central section, topped by a pediment, on each of its two outward faces, with a large clock in the center. Above it is a metal section with two smooth Ionic columns in the corners and a round-arched louvered vent with a keystone. Broad overhanging eaves set off the next section, the base of the cupola, with a shingled face and oculus. Above another set of eaves is a small domed top with an acorn-shaped finial.
  Inside the arcade motif continues. Corinthian columns support the ribbed vaulted ceilings, and a smaller arcade of five round arches with gilded tracery sets off the west wall of the chancel. In the rear there is no apse, just a wing with offices, vestry and lecture rooms.
caption: Historic American Buildings Survey photo of interior ca. 1937
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "493", "Image ImageLength": "640", "Image BitsPerSample": "[8, 8, 8, 8]", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "1", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "4", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2013:02:24 02:01:56", "Image ExifOffset": "232", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "382", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6891", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "419", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "569"}