Colorful McKinney

A colorfully painted bit of a McKinney cast iron facade on South Pearl Street just across from the Times Union Center.

And Yet More Vault Lights

Yet another vault light; this panel is at the old Centennial Hall on Pine Street and still has the maker's name - J. McKinney & Son Iron Works.

More vault lights:

A surprise on Lancaster Street
Still more vault lights

More McKinney:

McKinney Iron Works
150 Washington Avenue
Coal Cover

Coal Cover

This metal disk is set into an older flag of sidewalk just outside the famous Jack's Oyster House on lower State Street. The name McKinney was the first thing that caught my eye since I enjoying spotting examples of his cast iron architectural elements on old facades around Albany. But, since it's far too small to be a manhole cover, I couldn't quite place what this was...at first. Recently, I realized I'd seen similar examples in Manhattan...coal covers. These iron caps covered sidewalk hatches through which coal was delivered to basements in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some coal hatches were designed to double as vault lights.

150 Washington Avenue

An ornate lantern, lacy iron hinges, and an image of Saint Andrew decorate the entrance to the historic St. Andre's Society on Washington Avenue. The Society was found as the United Irish and Scottish Benevolent Society in 1802 to offer aid to Scottish and Irish immigrants.

The elegant brownstone which now houses the Society was built for Albany's leading manufacturer of architectural cast iron, James McKinney. It became the Society's home around 1930.