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Albany Historical Walking Tour, Washington Ave. Armory through Washington Park
Item 6 of 9
This is a contributing entry for Albany Historical Walking Tour, Washington Ave. Armory through Washington Park and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.
229 Elm Street is a charming 855 square foot home built around the beginning of the 20th century. Located in the Central Square/Hudson Park Historic District, the building was formally commercially zoned, but is now a residential building. According to a Building-Structure Inventory Form from March, 1975, it was described as a “detached, single story commercial building” that had considerably deteriorated. Today, the exterior of the house has a mid-century modern style to it. It is simplistic, geometric, and functional; some of the key components of mid-century modern design and architecture. 229 Elm Street remains a practical and functional building, about one hundred years after it was initally constructed.

229 Elm Street

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227 Elm Street Page One

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227 Elm Street Page Two

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229 Elm Street Page One

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229 Elm Street Page Two

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231 Elm Street Page One

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231 Elm Street Page Two

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229 Elm Street is located in the Center Square & Hudson Park is a Historic District in the City of Albany, New York. The neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 18th, 1980. These two districts represent a variety of historical architectural designs, including late Federal, Neoclassical and Victorian styles. Buildings in the Center Square & Hudson Park neighborhoods were built primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The district spans twenty-seven blocks, and is mostly residential buildings. Directly east of the Center Square & Hudson Park Historic District is the Empire State Plaza: The two neighborhoods examined side-by-side are quite the juxtaposition. Westwards, these neighborhoods are bordered by the Washington Park Historic District. 229 Elm Street is located next to homes that were constructed by the builder George Martin, who designed the 182-216 section of Elm Street. These buildings are representative of the Italianate houses in the district. 

According to the National Register of Historic Places Inventory Form for the Center Square & Hudson Park District, the neighborhood comprises not only a wide variety of architectural styles, but of buildings of various sizes as well, offering a great diversity in design. “About eighty percent of the buildings in the district are attached townhouses of two to four stories in height. Generally they are three bays wide and have a stoop leading to an entrance at one side. The townhouses range from large, ornate mansions to small alley dwellings. Other residential building types found in the district include the small frame cottage, the large free-standing house, the early twentieth-century double-decker, and the early twentieth-century apartment.” 229 Elm Street, according to a Building- Inventory Form from the Historic Albany Foundation from March 1st, 1975, was initially a commercial structure. Constructed by concrete blocks and detached from the surrounding buildings, it is recorded as being built in 1920. Today, the building is a quaint residential home. 

The buildings surrounding 229 Elm Street are a mix of row houses, brick and brownstones with Victorian elements, such as elaborate cornices that demonstrate greco-roman designs, and late-federalist wooden structures. 229 Elm Street was originally constructed as a commercial garage c. 1920, but has since been converted to a residential home. Currently, 229 Elm Street displays elements of modern architecture from the mid-20th century, as well as the 21st century qualities of residential architecture.

Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (3/2/1934 - ) New York SP Center Square/Hudson-Park Historic District. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York, 1964 - 2013 Series: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017. Record Group 79: Records of the National Park Service, 1785 - 2006. National Archive Identifier 75316189. October 19th, 1978. 

Ruden, Michael. Building-Structure Inventory Form. Division for Historic Preservation New York State Parks and Recreation. 229 Elm Street-Lynk Garage. March 1, 1975. CRIS Entry 00140.000628. 

Ruden, Michael. Building-Structure Inventory Form. Division for Historic Preservation New York State Parks and Recreation. 227 Elm Street. March 1, 1975. CRIS Entry 00140.000627.

Ruden, Michael. Building-Structure Inventory Form. Division for Historic Preservation New York State Parks and Recreation. 231 Elm Street. March 1, 1975. CRIS Entry 00140.000629

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https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/229-Elm-St-Albany-NY-12202/2141104435_zpid/

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