I heard they renamed the LOB to “Hart Office Building” and put “US Senate” logos on it, for a movie they are filming today in Albany. My thought was, that would be nice, as it would be much closer to “Almost Heaven, West Virginia.” And as Justin Moore once sung, “If heaven wasn’t so far away…”
Empire State Plaza
Conservation failure of epic proportion – Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Wally’s Vision, from Clay to Concrete – 98 Acres in Albany
It is difficult to determine which elements of the design originate with Rockefeller or with Harrison. Each spoke of the other as the visionary. In his unpublished memoir entitled, “Builder: A Personal Memoir of Nelson K. Rockefeller,” Wally tells us that he could not remember when Nelson first discussed the Mall with him, but he recalls that the Governor sketched his concept on the back of an envelope while they flew together from Washington to New York. That sketch has not been found. While the Mall’s signature elements were indeed conceptualized by Rockefeller, they were realized in concrete, marble, steel and glass by Harrison and his firm, Harrison and Abramovitz.
Thursday
Spring
Pattern
Selling the South Mall – 98 Acres in Albany
On March 30, 1962, the Times Union editorial board urged readers, who harbored “doubts” about the wisdom of the State of New York’s plan to seize and redevelop the South Mall area, to “drive slowly—or walk—up and down these once proud streets. Then decide for yourself.” The implication, of course, was that anyone who viewed the area firsthand would favor the State’s plan.