St. Mary's Catholic Church

St. Mary's Catholic Church is the second oldest Catholic parish in New York state and the fifth (or possibly sixth) church constructed in Albany. Erected in 1867, its Italian Romanesque Revival design is reminiscent of many northern or central Italian churches. This style was an appropriate choice of architect Charles C. Nichols given the large numbers of Italian immigrants in the city at the time. However, Charles designed an elaborate interior combining the French Gothic and Renaissance styles. The church, which is the third located on this site, is built of red brick and limestone and features limestone trim arches and decorative elements. The distinctive bell tower is 175-feet tall and is topped by a bronze statue (it functions as a weathervane) depicting the St. Gabriel the Archangel of Judgment blowing a trumpet. St. Mary's was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

St. Mary's Parish was incorporated on October 6, 1796 and originally served the part of the state encompassing the area roughly between Albany and Rochester and north to the Canadian border. Over the years three different St. Mary's have occupied this location. The second, a Federal style building, was erected in 1830 to provide more room for the growing congregation. It cost $12,000 to build; the then Governor Martin Van Buren (who later became president) donated $50. Two years earlier, St. Mary's established a Sunday school run by the Sister of Charity. It was moved into the basement of the new church. In 1832, the Sisters opened and an orphanage and private parochial school.

Construction of the present church cost $100,000. Unlike now, the neighborhood was residential at the time. As noted above, the interior is more lavishly decorated than the exterior. It features plaster paintings, numerous statues, French Gothic columns, and Italian Renaissance arches. In 1894 St. Mary's became the first church in Albany to have electric lighting. The next year, the bell tower was added. The church pastor at the time, Father Walworth, proposed the idea of putting a weathervane on top of the tower as he had seen on a church in Europe.

In 1929, St. Mary's pastor, Father Dillon, opened a mission church, St. Philip the Apostle, on Sheridan Avenue. He established an African American school nearby two years later and the first class had 40 students. St. Mary's school building, Centennial Hall, was built in 1900. Unfortunately, both schools closed in 1962 due to a decrease in number of congregants at both churches.

More recently, a number of improvements have been made to St. Mary's. An altar made in Venezuela was installed in 1978. During the next decade, the church bells were reactivated and then electrified, paintings were restored, and outdoor spotlights were installed to illuminate the tower and statue St. Gabriel. An electronic organ was installed in 1997 to play chimes located in the bell tower. Around that time, the congregation also refinished interior walls, columns, and the altar.

Bielinski, Stefan. St. Mary's Catholic Church. New York State Museum. December 22, 2016. http://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov//albany/org/stmarys.html.

"Exterior Architecture." St. Mary's Church. Retrieved from the Web Archive on January 17, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20091105025811/http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Exterior.htm.

"Highlights." St. Mary's Church. Accessed January 17, 2024. https://www.hist-stmarys.org/highlights.

"Interior Architecture." St. Mary's Church. Retrieved from the Web Archive on January 17, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20091104081248/http://www.hist-stmarys.org/Interior.htm.

Ralph, Elizabeth K. "St. Mary's Catholic Church." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. July 14, 1977. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316346.