Architectural Ornament in Albany

Warren Roberts will examine the forces that introduced the great Age of Ornament in Albany and the reaction that spelled its end. His talk will explore the historical reasons and imperatives for an outpouring of rich architectural detail and the subsequent waning of its popularity.

Examples from Albany will be presented and the materials and styles in which they were carried out discussed.

This Albany Heritage event is part of the Architecture and Art series. It is a free event.

Warren Roberts, a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the History Department at the University at Albany, looks at local architecture through the eyes of an historian whose interests include all periods of European architecture.

A native Californian, all eight of the houses he lived in before coming to Albany were built by his father, a Southern California building contractor, between 1932 and 1955. Architecturally, Albany, with a wealth of classical, Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, and other period styles derived from Europe, was like a foreign country to him.

Professor Roberts' talks on Albany architecture in the Albany Heritage program will be informed by his background, his training, and the way he has thought about Albany since his arrival. He was a participant in two series offered by Anne Roberts in the 1980s, "Experiencing Albany," and "Historic Albany: Its Churches and Synagogues." Professor Roberts thinks of his work in Albany Heritage as a continuation of the work previously undertaken by Anne Roberts.