Today's Times Union has a story about a Western Avenue house that has often caught my eye. It's a place I've noticed almost every time I've traveled past it on my way to Starbucks or Stuyvesant Plaza. And the sort of house I've always want to peek inside.
Storied Home - timesunion.com
Years ago, I was told that this house of light gold brick was built before the American Revolution and that it was, at some point, frequented by British Redcoats. I assumed this was not an accurate story since nothing I'd ever read about Albany during the Revolution ever mentioned any sites out in the then-remote sandy areas west of the city.
Later, I learned this was the home of Jesse Buel, the founder of Albany's Argus newspaper (Click here for my early post on the Argus building at Albany Photo Daily) and it was built - not in 1700s as I'd first been told - but in the 1820s...around the same time the nation's first chartered railroad began its runs to Schenectady only blocks to east.
According to the TU article, the property is currently owned by the Society of the Sacred Heart which had initially planned to use it as a residence for elderly nuns. The plan did not come to fruition and the house is now for sale.
And, according to the article, the house needs quite a bit of work to both repair and update it. As someone who was raised and still lives in a mid-19th century rowhouse, I know the advantages and disadvantages of old homes. Still, it's the sort of project I'd love to undertake...if I could afford to.
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Hm, yeah, judging from its age, it seems like that repairing it would be a pretty daunting task. Still, old buildings have a certain charm to them, and restoring them would result with a pretty nice-looking home. Hopefully it gets fixed if someone buys the house.
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