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48 Hudson Avenue (also known as the Van Ostrande–Radliff House) is the oldest building in the city of Albany,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...
. It was believed by Paul Huey, in the Albany architectural guide of 1993, to have been built in 1759 by Johannes Radliff when he married Elizabeth Singleton because he believed it was built after the stockade was moved south by one block. Research done by Albany historian John Wolcott proved that it had been occupied by Johannes van Ostrande between 1728 and 1734 and that a mortgage Radliff had on the house referred to it as "formerly van Ostrande." The Lamont–Doherty Earth Sciences laboratory of Columbia University performed
dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...
on a wood core sample from the building to confirm that the building dated from 1728. It has been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
since January 10, 2008; prior to that, it had been a
contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
to the
Downtown Albany Historic District The Downtown Albany Historic District is a 19-block, area of Albany, New York, United States, centered on the junction of State (New York State Route 5) and North and South Pearl streets (New York State Route 32). It is the oldest settled area o ...
.


History

48 Hudson Avenue was built by Johannes van Ostrande in 1728 just outside the stockade walls and a few hundred yards from the old
Fort Orange Fort Orange ( nl, Fort Oranje) was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city of Albany, New York developed at this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearb ...
. Johannes Van Ostrande (or Ostrander) was the son of the immigrant Pieter Ostrander, baptized in
Kingston, New York Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grouped with the New York metropolitan area around Manhattan by the United ...
in 1688, married there, and moved to Albany by 1715. In 1722, Van Ostrande was elected a member of the Albany Common Council representing the First Ward,. In the 1750s, he sold the building to Johannes Radliff, a shoe-maker. During the 19th century the building was the home, and later factory, of Jared Holt. Holt made waxed thread used for sewing leather goods.


Future

48 Hudson Avenue sits within what was once the core area of the proposed
Albany Convention Center The Albany Convention Center (ACC) was a proposed convention center to be located in downtown Albany, New York. The complex was initially proposed by Albany Mayor of Albany, New York, Mayor Gerald Jennings in 1994. In 2004, the Albany Convention C ...
. The Albany Convention Center Authority has worked with the
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation a ...
to preserve the structure, mitigate adverse impacts, and recover archaeological resources. The Authority has also spoken with the owner of 48 Hudson Avenue regarding efforts to preserve the building.


Structure

As originally built it was a -story building, with a steep
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...
roof of fifty-four degrees. The house measured 23 by 33 feet with one large first-floor room and two lofts. The first floor was brick, while the top portion was pine shakes. The building has many rare features not often preserved in other buildings from its time, including a molded anchor beam, the outline of a jambless
fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...
, wide pine exterior siding, wide floorboards, steeply pitched roof beams, and original brick walls.


See also

*
History of Albany, New York The history of Albany, New York began long before the first interaction of Europeans with the native Indian tribes, as they had long inhabited the area. The area was originally inhabited by an Algonquian Indian tribe, the Mohican, as well as th ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany, New York There are 75 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Albany, New York, United States. Six are additionally designated as National Historic Landmarks (NHLs), the most of any city in the state after New York City. Another 1 ...
* Quackenbush House


References

{{Albany, New York Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Houses in Albany, New York History of Albany, New York Houses completed in 1728 Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Albany, New York 1728 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies