Historic buildings

Making repairs at historic building on Third

Written December 1st, 2023 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 11 responses.

At 113 years of age, the two-story structure housing the Wood Apartments in the 200 block of Southeast Third Avenue may be among Albany’s oldest apartment buildings. Now the facade is getting structural repairs.

Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: 218 Third SE, Albany buildings, Historic buildings, Labor Temple, Lepman, Wood Apartments

Now it’s done: Behold the ‘Opera House’

Written October 18th, 2023 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 8 responses.

It has taken a while, but now a faded former apartment house on East First Avenue in Albany has been rebuilt as something completely different. Now it’s the Opera House, a building with century-old lines on the outside and modern, well equipped apartments inside the walls.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: 222 First, Albany downtown, downtown apartments, Historic buildings, Opera House Apartments, Scott Lepman, Spruce

Downtown beat: Another restoration’s complete

Written September 14th, 2023 by Hasso Hering

Comments: one response.

It was four years ago that “1st Hand Seconds,” a downtown women’s second-hand clothing shop with a mission, moved from one historic Albany address on First Avenue to another, on Second. Now it’s ready to celebrate the remodeling of its 1929 building with a Saturday open house.

Posted in: Bicycling, Commentary, News
Tags: 1st Hand Seconds, cheese grater, downtown Albany, Historic buildings, remodeling, SEcond Avenue, wedding gowns

St. Francis: A new chapter starts downtown

Written April 28th, 2022 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 2 responses.

Another page is about to be turned in the continuing story of changes in Albany’s downtown. Pride Printing has occupied the ground floor of the former St. Francis Hotel for about 50 years, and now the business leaving.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: CARA, downtown Albany, Historic buildings, Pride Printing, Scott Lepman, Scott Thorn, St. Francis, urban renewal

Following through at Whitespires Church

Written February 23rd, 2022 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 6 responses.

It was 46 degrees at 2 this afternoon and sunny. As long as the sun shines, cold weather evidently is no deterrent when it comes to refreshing the paint on a historic Albany church.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany Churches, cold weather painting, Historic buildings, historic churches, house painting, Whitespires Church

Council denies appeal on window replacement

Written October 13th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 26 responses.

Over the last 20 years or so, Willamette Community Church has replaced 122 balky old windows in its historic building, the former Albany High School. On Wednesday the city council denied the church’s request to finish the job by replacing the last 11 windows on the list.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany High School, Historic buildings, vinyl windows, Willamette Community Church

Developer pulls out of St. Francis project

Written September 15th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 2 responses.

An Albany developer has dropped his plan to renovate the former St. Francis Hotel and adjacent Rhodes Block, but the idea of the restoration itself may not yet be completely dead.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany revitalization. downtown renewal, CARA, Historic buildings, St. Francis, urban renewal