Old Images of Albany, New York

Glimpse history through old images of Albany, in the US State of New York.

The City of Albany, New York, is the capital of the U.S. state of New York. Albany is the 11th largest city in the state of New York, the third largest city in New York (behind New York City and Buffalo), and the 146th largest city in the United States.

Located on the Hudson River, Albany was a major transportation hub. Nowadays it’s a beautiful city with high rise districts, quaint neighborhoods, and a thriving arts and culture scene. And it’s just a short ride from NYC!

This page is a collection of old photos and film that capture images of Albany’s history in the twentieth century.

Old Photos of Albany, New York, 1890-1915

This is a wonderful collection of old photos showing a range of places in the city from 1895 to 1915. Each clear, crisp photo is accompanied with the location and approximate date.

It’s dramatic to see the change in street vehicles between 1900 and 1915. Horses and carts, once sedately clopping past men in suits and women in long skirts, suddenly found themselves contending with trolley buses and dozens of big black cars. Above the streets, a network of electricity wires ran between poles.

Old Photos of Albany, New York (1890-1915), posted to YouTube by oldstuff4all

Old Albany Market, 1930

You’ll notice straight away that this 1930s footage is a bit blurry. But it’s a rare glimpse of ordinary working life in Downtown Albany almost a century ago.

It’s a very male dominated workplace. Just three decades after cars appeared on American streets, already the horses and carts have disappeared from market life.

The 4 minute 33 second footage was recorded in 1930 in 16mm film, and recently digitised by the New York State Archives.

Old Albany Market, 1930, Posted to YouTube by New York State Archives

World War II

It’s a great shame this hour of footage is silent, because it records a wide range of wartime city events during World War II. In the final scenes recorded in 1965, war veterans decorate graves with American flags and flowers.

War-Time Albany 1940-1945, 1965, posted to YouTube by New York State Archives

Recorded by the Amateur Motion Picture Society of Albany in cooperation with the Albany City and County War Councils, “War-time Albany” captures:

scrap metal drives

rationing meetings
military parades
volunteers creating Bundles for Britain

Russian Relief Society
bond mobiles
book collection for servicemen

aircraft recognition school
boxing at Steamboat Square
victory gardens

victory mail
the 4th War Loan Drive featuring Bing Crosby and other Hollywood stars
an army airshow at Albany Airport

military equipment moving through the city by train
18th ward Roll of Honor
Captain Eddie Rickenbacker speaking to the Legislature

model of Voorheesville Holding and Reconsignment point
and newspaper headlines proclaiming the end of the war

Places seen during the film include Washington Park, the State Capitol Building, Madison Theater, City Hall, Department of Education Building, Steamboat Square, and downtown Albany.

A 1960s Childhood Remembered

Pat Serafino fondly remembers her childhood on one of Albany’s long-lost streets.

Albany NY 1960s.mpg, posted to YouTube by OrganicPlastic

Wallace Rally in Capitol Park, 1968

On October 10, 1968, Segregationist candidate George Corley Wallace (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) held the Wallace Rally in Capitol Park.

Bob Paley’s photographs show crowds of supporters, protesters, and police ready for confrontation.

Wallace, the four-time governor of Alabama, ultimately became the fourth longest-serving governor in US history. None of his attempts to become presidents succeeded.

This video shows Bob Paley’s photographs of the event. The soundtrack is compiled from various other events to provide context to the photos.

Posted to YouTube by OrganicPlastic

Opening Crossgates Mall, 1984

March 1984 saw the opening of the Crossgates Mall. This video shows workers getting the mall ready for opening day, and a great flood of customers wandering around looking a bit bemused.