Clio Logo
Albany New York Walking Tour
Item 1 of 13

The Albany Institute of History & Art traces its roots back to 1791, making it one this one of the oldest museums in the United States. It offers a variety of regional collections in addition to a variety of exhibits and works of art including sculptures, paintings, ceramics, glass, maps, photographs, antiquities, and rare books and pamphlets. Highlights include the two mummies and artifacts from ancient Egypt, collections of manuscripts and diaries from the colonial period and American Revolution, and the Hudson River School collection of paintings. The museum consists of two buildings: the Rice House, which was built in 1895, and the museum building, the original portion of which was erected in 1907. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.


Founded in 1791, the Albany Institute of History & Art is one of the oldest museums in the United States.

Sky, Plant, Building, Window

The museum was established in New York City as the Society for the Promotion of Agriculture, Arts, and Manufactures. It was housed in a building erected in 1703 called Federal Hall (the second building on that site was constructed in 1842 and is now known as the Federal Hall National Memorial). The first president was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Minister to France, Robert R. Livingston. The purpose of the Society was to inform the state legislature about innovations in agriculture and manufacturing that could boost the state economy. The organization, which was required to be located where the legislature met, moved to Albany in 1797, a year after the city became the state capital. The Society changed its named to "The Society for the Promotion of Useful Arts" in 1804.

In 1823, another organization, "The Albany Lyceum of Natural History," was established. Operated as a museum of mineralogy, geology, and paleontology, it merged with the Society in 1824 and the new organization was named "Albany Institute." Scholars presented a number of papers at the Institute, some of which were published. A notable presentation was delivered by Joseph Henry, who read his first paper on electromagnetism on March 6, 1829 (Henry would later become the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution). Interest in the Institute declined in the 1830s due to the excessive presentations given by organization's chief meteorologist, Mathew H. Webster. Another factor was that the general public had also became interested in other subjects. As a result, the Institute was largely inactive during the 1840s.

The Institute was revived in the 1850s after it hosted the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences in 1851, which prompted new members to join the Institute. Given their interest in other topics, they helped broaden the Institute's focus from a solely scientific one. The Institute also began to engage in public outreach. In 1867, the Institute donated its science and natural history collections to the New York State Museum. It eventually donated the geological collection to the State Museum as well.

In 1900, the Institute merged with the Albany Historical and Fine Arts Society, which was established in 1886, to form the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society (the name was shortened to the current one is 1926). The original museum building was erected in 1907. A work of architect Albert Fuller, it is a fine example of Neoclassical architecture. William G. Rice built the house in 1895 and donated the land for the Institute. The Institute bought the house in 1966. An auditorium was built as an addition to the Institute in 1924. Another addition was built adjoining the Rice House in 1940.

"About." Albany Institute of History & Art. Accessed January 18, 2024. https://www.albanyinstitute.org/about.

"History of the Albany Institute." Retrieved from the Web Archive on January 18, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20120229200707/http://www.albanyinstitute.org/HTML/history.htm.

Ralph, Elizabeth K. "National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form." July 12, 1976. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316153.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albany_Institute_of_History_and_Art_Panorama.jpg