History of Albany, New York (1983–present)

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Albany, New York
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The history of Albany, New York from 1983 to present begins with the death of Erastus Corning 2nd, Albany's longest serving mayor. When Corning died in 1983, Thomas Whalen assumed the mayorship and was reelected twice. Albany saw a significant influx of federal dollars earmarked for restoring historic structures. What Corning had saved from destruction, Whalen refurbished. [1] The Mayor's Office of Special Events was created in an effort to increase the number of festivals and artistic events in the city, including a year-long Dongan Charter tricentennial celebration in 1986. [2] Whalen is credited for an "unparalleled cycle of commercial investment and development" in Albany due to his "aggressive business development programs". [3]

Albany, New York Capital of New York

Albany is the capital of the U.S. state of New York and the seat of Albany County. Albany is located on the west bank of the Hudson River approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of its confluence with the Mohawk River and approximately 135 miles (220 km) north of New York City.

New York (state) State of the United States of America

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States. New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. With an estimated 19.54 million residents in 2018, it is the fourth most populous state. To distinguish the state from the city with the same name, it is sometimes called New York State.

Erastus Corning 2nd American politician

Erastus Corning 2nd was an American politician. A Democrat, Corning served as mayor of Albany, New York, from 1942 to 1983, when Albany County was controlled by one of the last two classic urban political machines in the United States. He died in office in 1983 as Albany's longest-serving mayor to date.

Prior to the recession of the 1990s, Albany was home to two Fortune 500 companies: KeyBank and Fleet Bank; both have since moved or merged with other banks. [4] Albany saw its political climate change after the death of Corning and the retirement of Congressman Sam Stratton. Long-term office holders became a thing of the past in the 1980s. Local media began following the drama surrounding county politics (specifically that of the newly created county executive position); the loss of Corning (and eventually the machine) led to a lack of interest in city politics. [5] The 1990s brought about the surprise election of Gerald Jennings, who has been mayor since 1994. His tenure has essentially ended the political machine that had been in place since the 1920s. [6] During the 1990s, the State Legislature approved the $234 million "Albany Plan", "a building and renovation project [that] was the most ambitious building project to effect the area since the Rockefeller era." The Albany Plan saw the initiation of renovation and new building projects around the downtown area, and the move of many state workers from the Harriman State Office Campus to downtown. [7] The late first decade of the 21st century saw a real possibility for a long-discussed and controversial Albany Convention Center; as of August 2010, the Albany Convention Center Authority had already purchased 75% of the land needed to build the downtown project. [8]

The early 1990s recession describes the period of economic downturn affecting much of the Western world in the early 1990s.

<i>Fortune</i> 500 annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine

The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along with privately held companies for which revenues are publicly available. The concept of the Fortune 500 was created by Edgar P. Smith, a Fortune editor, and the first list was published in 1955. The Fortune 500 is more commonly used than its subset Fortune 100 or superset Fortune 1000.

Gerald Jennings American politician

Gerald David "Jerry" Jennings served as the 74th mayor of Albany, New York, the state capital. A Democrat, Jennings served five terms over 20 years.

Albany Panorama.jpg
Panorama of Albany and the Hudson River from Rensselaer, looking northwest, in 2010

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The history of Albany, New York, begins with the first interaction of Europeans with the native Indian tribes who had long inhabited the area. The area was originally inhabited by an Algonquian Indian tribe, the Mohican, as well as the Iroquois, five nations of whom the easternmost, the Mohawk, had the closest relations with traders and settlers in Albany.

Thomas Michael Whalen III American politician

Thomas Michael Whalen III, also known as Tom Whalen, was an American attorney and politician, and a three-term mayor of Albany, New York, serving from 1983 to 1993. A native of Albany, he graduated from Manhattan College and Albany Law School.

Downtown Albany Historic District human settlement in Albany, New York, United States of America

The Downtown Albany Historic District is a 19-block, 66-acre (27 ha) area of Albany, New York, United States, centered on the junction of State and North and South Pearl streets. It is the oldest settled area of the city, originally planned and settled in the 17th century, and the nucleus of its later development and expansion. In 1980 it was designated a historic district by the city and then listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coat of arms of Albany, New York

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Albany Convention Center

The Albany Convention Center (ACC) was a proposed convention center to be located in downtown Albany, New York. The complex was initially proposed by Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings in 1994. In 2004, the Albany Convention Center Authority (ACCA) was established by the New York Legislature as a New York State public-benefit corporation to develop plans for the ACC. Supported by Governor George Pataki, the project was awarded a $75 million grant in 2006. The anticipated price tag of the project was approximately $220 million, and a site between Broadway, Hudson Avenue, and the South Mall Arterial was selected.

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The history of Albany, New York from 1784 to 1860 begins with the ratification of the Treaty of Paris by the Congress of the Confederation in 1784 and ends in 1860, prior to the American Civil War.

History of Albany, New York (1860–1900)

The history of Albany, New York from 1860 to 1900 begins in 1860, prior to the start of the Civil War, and ends in 1900.

History of Albany, New York (1942–83)

The history of Albany, New York from 1942 to 1983 begins with the beginning of the tenure of Erastus Corning 2nd as mayor and ends with Corning's death in 1983.

Tricentennial Park (Albany, New York)

Tricentennial Park is an urban park in Albany, New York built to commemorate that city's three hundredth anniversary as an incorporated city and is the site of several statues and monuments. The park encompasses the entire block bounded by Broadway to the east, Columbia Street to the north, James Street to the west, and Steuben Street to the south. First proposed in 1914 it was built in 1986 as part of the tricentennial celebrations of Albany's incorporation as a city in association with the renovation of the Albany Union Station.

Downtown Wichita Central business district in Kansas, United States

Downtown Wichita is the central business district of Wichita, Kansas, United States. The political and financial hub of the city, it is home to several of the area's major landmarks and event venues including the Epic Center, Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, Intrust Bank Arena, and the Old Town entertainment district.

References

  1. ↑ McEneny (2006), p. 191
  2. ↑ McEneny (2006), p. 192
  3. ↑ Pace, Eric. Thomas M. Whalen III, 68, Three-Term Mayor of Albany (Obituary).2002-03-08[Retrieved 2010-07-18].The New York Times.
  4. ↑ McEneny (2006), p. 193
  5. ↑ McEneny (2006), pp. 193–194
  6. ↑ McEneny (2006), p. 198
  7. ↑ McEneny (2006), p. 201
  8. ↑ Carleo-Evangelist, Jordan. Convention center pieces fall into place.Times Union (Albany).2010-08-27[Retrieved 2010-08-29].Hearst Newspapers.

Bibliography

John McEneny American politician

John "Jack" McEneny is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the New York State Assembly, representing about half of Albany County in the 104th Assembly District, from 1993 through 2012.

International Standard Book Number Unique numeric book identifier

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.

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