F.W. Brown

A closer look at this facade along James Street reveals a bit more detail:  F.W. BROWN ARCHITECT No. 14 N. P ST. 

Assuming this refers to Frederick Brown, his best known local work was the wooden lakehouse which predates the current one in Washington Park.  14 North Pearl Street no longer exists, but would've been near present Ten Eyck Plaza.

The cast iron facade has been painted since the last time I blogged about this building, but it is otherwise in a sad state.

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.

Back Wall Surprise

High on the wall of an old house at the corner of Madison Avenue and Dove Street, a small cast iron hatch. This is one of a pair set into the wall; the one below it was closed and shows the floral motif nicely. The building has obviously been altered a few times over the year; this may have been an interior wall as these seem to be part of an old chimney system.