Every now and then, passersby get an indication that the work of saving and restoring the former St. Francis Hotel in Albany is going on inside.
Well, that was quick — the sale, that is, of the former Wells Fargo Bank property in downtown Albany.
A question was circulating among people with their eyes open in downtown Albany over the last few days: What’s with all those numbers in the windows of the former St. Francis Hotel?
Scott Lepman doesn’t have an estimate of how long it will take to refurbish the old St. Francis Hotel at Ferry Street and First Avenue in downtown Albany. But he, his brother Spencer and their construction crew are about to start.
Plans to renovate or restore three downtown landmarks — well, two landmarks and one other building — can go ahead now that the Albany Landmarks Commission has given its approval.
The former St.Francis Hotel at First Avenue and Ferry Street in Albany might end up with an addition, a crowning feature you might say. Drawings prepared by Albany architect Don Johnson for the renovation of the four-story structure show a penthouse on the roof.
St. Francis shows off its tall old windows
The tall windows of the ground floor lobby of the historic St. Francis Hotel in Albany have been restored, or opened up, to their full height.
Tags: Albany downtown, Historic buildings, Landmarks Commission, Lepman, St. Francis, windows