St Joseph’ Roman Catholic Church, 38 Ten Broeck St (1856-1860)

Here, at the corner of Second and Ten Broeck Streets, you are standing in front of the stunning St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church. This is one of the most impressive and eye-catching Gothic buildings in the city and is a feature of Albany's architecture and skyline.

The parish began in 1843 at North Pearl Street and Livingston Ave, the third Roman Catholic church at the time in the city, after St. Mary’s downtown and St. John’s in the Pastures. By the mid-1850s St. Joseph’s parish had grown substantially and needed a new church, and the Albany Diocese hired architect Patrick Keely to design the new church. Keely is credited with designing over 600 Roman Catholic churches, including the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The area is part of the Ten Broeck/Arbor Hill Historic District. The area’s oldest building (Ten Broeck Mansion) was built in 1797, as a home to Elizabeth (Van Rensselaer) Ten Broeck and her husband Abraham Ten Broeck. As the lumber trade began to boom in the following century thanks to trade from the Erie Canal, wealthy businessmen chose to build their homes in the area surrounding the mansion, creating the varied streetscape you see today. The ‘triangle’ was recognized as a Historic District in 1979, expanding to include parts of Arbor Hill four years later.

Here at the corner of Second and Ten Broeck Streets you are standing in front of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church. The parish began in 1843 at North Pearl Street and Livingston Ave. At the time, it was the third Roman Catholic church in the city, after St. Mary’s downtown and St. John’s in the Pastures.  By the mid 1850s St. Joseph’s parish had grown substantially and needed a new church. The Albany Diocese hired architect Patrick Keely as the designer. Keely was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, and quickly picked up carpentry skills from his father. He immigrated to Brooklyn in 1842, where he quickly built a positive reputation through his work. Keely is credited with designing over 600 Roman Catholic churches, most of which were located in the New England area in small towns and cities. One of Keely’s most notable works is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

The structure itself is constructed of bluestone and was originally trimmed with French Caen stone until 1866 when it was replaced due to weathering. The church dominates its surroundings and has many elements emblematic of the countless Gothic Revival churches throughout the country. The arched entryways enclose doors with medieval detailing, arched and larger windows are filled with tracery, and drip molding can be found over many of the windows. Other elements include the steeply pitched roofs, gables, and buttresses. The steeple would not be added until around 1910 and was designed by Albany architects M.L. and H.G. Emery. The church itself is located in its own green space, and is constructed in the shape of a cross. The interior was designed by Keely himself, whose love of woodworking could not be better displayed than on the intricate details you find here. Indicative of the Gothic Revival style you can see the polychromed ceiling and the hammerbeam roof structure, adorned with carved angels.

By the early 1980s the congregation had declined and the church was closed. The building was the subject of much community effort from 2001-2012 when HAF owned it, and did extensive stabilization work with a grant from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and a bridge loan from Albany Local Development Corporation, the precursor to Capitalize Albany. Nearly $1M was raised and spent stabilizing the building so the public could continue to utilize the building as much as possible. During this time, the building was used as a community space, hosting art shows, concerts, philanthropic events, and even a wedding. The building was open to the public as frequently as possible in the warmer months and was a stop on house tours to promote the architecture of the building. Many potential new owners had been identified, however, no viable plan was produced.

With stabilization complete and efforts to find a new owner ongoing, the building was transferred back to the City in 2012. The building had been re-secured to keep wildlife and vagrants out of the building. The interior was cleaned of pigeon excrement as were the few remaining pews. The pews were given to Historic Albany's Architectural Parts Warehouse to sell and get them back into the Albany community (they all found a home).

Waite, Diana S. Albany Architecture. Mount Ida Press.

Waite, Diana S. Architects in Albany.

Decker, Kevin F. Patrick Charles Keely bibliography, SUNY Plattsburgh Decker