Albany displays some of the most imposing civic architecture in America with its Empire State Plaza, a collection of International-style buildings surrounding a reflecting pool. The 589-foot Erastus Corning Tower is the tallest, and The Egg, a performing arts venue, the most distinctive. The New York State Capitol is a unique chateauesque design, while the 444-step Grand Western Staircase took 14 years to complete. Albany City Hall, with its standout pyramidal corner tower, has landed on its fair share of “America’s Most Beautiful Buildings” lists.

On the opposite side of downtown, the Gothic-influenced former Delaware & Hudson Railroad Building dominates the real estate that is now the State University of New York. Art Deco splashes on the Albany skyline include the Home Savings Bank on Pearl Street, the Foley United States Courthouse, and the Alfred E. Smith Building. The Quackenbush House, fashioned in brick and with a proud Dutch pedigree, is the oldest intact building in Albany, dating back to the 1730s. In the city’s warehouse district, a giant statue of Nipper the RCA Dog – an iconic advertising symbol of the electronics giant – has sat attentively on a building roof on Tivoli Street for generations.

Albany preservationists have done much to stop the wrecking ball swinging in their city and the downtown real estate market still maintains 769 row houses and 7,692 multi-family properties. Single family homes still lead the housing market inventory with a total of 13,548. There are 1,103 apartments and 353 other types of residences in Albany. Commercial properties number 1,363 with another 529 zoned for industrial use and 132 for mixed use. The Albany County Land Bank manages most of the city’s 3,717 vacant lots with innovative purchase programs to boost median home values such as “Spend a Little, Get a Lot“.