Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company Building

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The Delaware and Hudson Railroad Building

 

The Delaware and Hudson Railroad Building, now called the SUNY System Administration Building, is situated at the intersection of State Street and Broadway, which is in downtown Albany in the busy city

of New York. Because of its unique and remarkable architecture, large scale and strategic location, the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Building is often mistaken for the New York State Capitol.

 

The design for the structure was inspired by a Flemish Clothweavers’ Guildhall. The central tower has thirteen floors, and on top of it is an eight foot high weathervane, which is a reproduction of the Dutch East India Company ship Halve Maen, meaning “half moon” in English. Halve Maen was captained by Englishman Henry Hudson.

The Delaware and Hudson Railroad Building’s history is varied and rich. It was originally built by the company to function as their central headquarters. However, the Albany Evening Journal newspaper occupied the south part of the structure for a couple of years. When the newspaper company moved

out, the building was left unoccupied. After some time, the New York state purchased the property,

and in the mid 1970s, it was converted of the SUNY office.

In 1972, the structure was included in the National Register of Historic Places as the Delaware and Hudson RailRoad Company Building.