Wellington Row

Wellington Row is a historic group of buildings on the south side of State Street in downtown Albany, New York. The row extends across the addresses 132 through 140 State Street and forms part of the Downtown Albany Historic District. Its name derives primarily from the Wellington Hotel, a large early twentieth-century hotel that became the dominant building in the group. The surrounding properties include the former Elks Lodge No. 49, the former Berkshire Hotel, and two older row houses at 132 and 134 State Street. The Wellington Hotel also had a rear-facing annex on Howard Street, connected to a garage and associated with the larger hotel complex. The oldest surviving structure associated with the row is the John Taylor Cooper House at 134 State Street. Built in the 1820s and later remodeled in the Greek Revival style, it is associated with the Cooper family of Cooperstown, New York. The adjacent 132 State Street was occupied by Christian Brothers Academy. These earlier buildings give the row a layered architectural history that predates the hotel by many decades. The Wellington Hotel opened in 1905 as a relatively small 17-room establishment. In 1911, Claude J. Holder acquired it and expanded the operation to more than 400 rooms, transforming the property into a major Albany hotel. The Elks Lodge building at 138 State Street was constructed between 1911 and 1913 and dedicated in 1914. Over time, the Wellington became associated with Albany's political and civic life. Mario Cuomo stayed there in 1956 while working as a law clerk and returned during the 1980s while serving as lieutenant governor. George Pataki, who later succeeded Cuomo as governor, also stayed at the hotel while serving in the New York Legislature. The property's ownership and use changed repeatedly in the second half of the twentieth century. In 1959, Carter Hotels purchased the building from Holder's heirs for $1.5 million, subject to an agreement requiring televisions and air conditioning in every room. After Albany Savings Bank foreclosed on the property in 1975, it transferred the Wellington to the City of Albany. The city continued operating the main building as a hotel and used the Howard Street annex as student housing for students at the University at Albany until 1984. MABS Diversified Investments acquired the property from the city in 1984 and continued hotel and student-housing uses until 1986. Sebba Rockaway Ltd. then purchased the Wellington, the former Berkshire Hotel, and the Elks Lodge in 1987, later acquiring 134 State Street in 1994 and 132 State Street in 1998. The buildings entered a period of serious deterioration in the 2000s. In August 2004, the ornate cornice of the Wellington Hotel became unstable and had to be removed by emergency workers. The city placed protective sheathing around the remaining structure and pursued code-enforcement action against Sebba Rockaway. The legal and preservation dispute ultimately contributed to a redevelopment proposal for the site. After purchasing the assemblage in 2006, Columbia Development initially proposed demolishing most of the buildings while retaining selected facades. Opposition led to a revised plan intended to preserve more of the historic streetscape and add residential and office uses. The redevelopment was renamed Wellington Place. The plan called for retaining several neighboring structures for retail and residential purposes while replacing the Wellington Hotel with a new office building incorporating its facade as an entrance. The Wellington Hotel annex was demolished by controlled explosion on August 23, 2014. Wellington Row was included on the Preservation League of New York State's Seven to Save list for 2000. Its significance therefore rests on its architectural, civic, and preservation history, not on the sale of consumer goods or services. The subject is best treated as a named historic architectural ensemble within a brand-oriented database, with no conventional products, corporate executives, or active commercial-market positioning established by the available references.

Wellington Row developed as a sequence of buildings on the south side of State Street in Albany. Its earliest identified structure is the John Taylor Cooper House at 134 State Street, constructed in the 1820s and later remodeled in the Greek Revival style. The Cooper family was associated with the founding of Cooperstown, New York. The neighboring 132 State Street was occupied by Christian Brothers Academy, while later additions to the group established the row's twentieth-century hotel and civic character. The Wellington Hotel was built in 1905 with 17 rooms. Claude J. Holder purchased it in 1911 and expanded it to more than 400 rooms, making the hotel the central element of the ensemble. The former Elks Lodge No. 49 at 138 State Street was constructed between 1911 and 1913 and dedicated in 1914. The Wellington complex also included a Wellington Annex on Howard Street and an attached garage. The former Berkshire Hotel stood within the same broader group of properties. The hotel attracted political and civic visitors. Mario Cuomo first stayed there in 1956 while working as a law clerk and later returned during his tenure as lieutenant governor. George Pataki also stayed at the hotel while serving in the New York Legislature. In 1959, Carter Hotels acquired the property from Holder's heirs for $1.5 million, with a requirement that all rooms receive televisions and air conditioning. After Albany Savings Bank foreclosed on the property in 1975, the bank transferred it to the City of Albany. The city operated the Wellington as a hotel and used its annex as a dormitory for University at Albany students until 1984. MABS Diversified Investments then bought the property and continued hotel and student-housing operations through 1986. Sebba Rockaway Ltd. acquired the Wellington, Berkshire, and Elks Lodge properties in 1987 and subsequently added 134 State Street in 1994 and 132 State Street in 1998. The condition of the buildings became a major issue in the early twenty-first century. In August 2004, the Wellington's ornamental cornice threatened State Street and was removed. The city covered the building with protective sheathing and initiated code-enforcement proceedings. A December 2004 court ruling fined Sebba Rockaway $480,000 for twelve code violations. In 2005, the city filed a further action seeking punitive damages and added a substantial charge to the property's tax bill. The assemblage was placed on the market and sold in 2006 to Columbia Development for $925,000. Columbia initially considered demolishing most of the structures while retaining selected facades. Preservation opposition led to a revised concept that retained more of the historic streetscape and introduced apartments, retail space, and offices. Under the Wellington Place concept, the Wellington Hotel itself was to be replaced by a new 14-story office building, with the historic hotel facade reused at the entrance. The neighboring row houses, former Berkshire Hotel, and Elks Lodge were intended for retail and residential uses. The Wellington Annex was demolished by controlled explosion on August 23, 2014. The row was included in the Preservation League of New York State's Seven to Save list for 2000 and remains part of the Downtown Albany Historic District. Its historical importance derives from the continuity of its nineteenth-century residential architecture, its early twentieth-century hotel and lodge buildings, its connections with Albany's political life, and the public debate over adaptive reuse and redevelopment.

• 2014

  Wellington Annex demolished

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  The Howard Street annex was demolished by controlled explosion.

• 2006

  Columbia Development purchases the site

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  The property assemblage was sold to Columbia Development, which advanced the Wellington Place redevelopment concept.

• 2000

  Added to Seven to Save list

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  Wellington Row was identified by the Preservation League of New York State as a threatened historic resource.

• 1987

  Sebba Rockaway acquires the principal properties

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  Sebba Rockaway Ltd. purchased the Wellington, former Berkshire Hotel, and Elks Lodge.

• 1984

  MABS Diversified Investments acquires the property

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  MABS bought the Wellington from the city and continued hotel and student-housing uses.

• 1975

  City of Albany takes ownership

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  Following foreclosure by Albany Savings Bank, the Wellington was transferred to the City of Albany, which continued hotel operations.

• 1959

  Carter Hotels acquires the Wellington

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  Carter Hotels purchased the hotel from Holder's heirs under conditions requiring televisions and air conditioning in every room.

• 1914

  Elks Lodge No. 49 dedicated

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  The Elks Lodge building at 138 State Street, constructed between 1911 and 1913, was dedicated.

• 1911

  Claude J. Holder expands the hotel

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  After acquiring the hotel, Claude J. Holder expanded it to more than 400 rooms.

• 1905

  Wellington Hotel opens

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  The Wellington Hotel was built as a 17-room hotel and later became the defining structure of the row.

• 1820

  John Taylor Cooper House constructed

  [1]Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org

  The oldest identified building in Wellington Row, at 134 State Street, was built in the 1820s and later remodeled in the Greek Revival style.

A named historic architectural ensemble and redevelopment site in downtown Albany, not a conventional consumer or corporate brand.

• 2006

  Redevelopment recast as Wellington PlaceStrategy

  Background

  Columbia Development acquired a deteriorating historic assemblage after a period of code violations, legal disputes, and preservation concern.

  Action taken

  The developer revised an initial demolition-oriented concept to preserve more of the historic streetscape, retain neighboring buildings for retail and residential use, and incorporate the Wellington Hotel facade into a new office building.

  Aftermath

  The proposal shifted the debate from complete demolition toward partial preservation and mixed-use redevelopment. The available reference does not establish the final completion status of every element.

  Source

1. 1Wellington Rowen.wikipedia.org