Historicist Chruches and Synagogues
in Albany

Albany is unusually rich in Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival churches and synagogues. We see these buildings every day and are so accustomed to them that we might not consider how anomalous they are.

Nineteenth-century Albany was formed by modern transportation systems, the Erie Canal and the New York Central Railroad, and it was driven by commerce and industry. Yet many of its places of worship are medieval in style. Why? The main focus of this talk will be on historical, aesthetic, and social considerations.

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.