Visit the oldest building in Albany, the Van Ostrande-Radliff House for a guided tour of the restoration or explore the 1728 Dutch house on your own. The building is currently undergoing a transformation from a hidden vacant building to an 18th century Dutch style urban house, just as it was built. Admission is free, but we ask that you register to help us provide the best experience possible.
During the tour, Director of Preservation Services, Cara Macri, will take you through the building highlighting its architecture, history, and evolution including the ongoing restoration. Hear about its past families and businesses as well as all of the changes they made which created the building you will be standing in with all its additions and alterations.
The Van Ostrande-Radliff House was built by alderman Johannes Van Ostrande and his wife Elizabeth. They raised the youngest 8 of their 15 children in the house. The youngest two would later serve in the Albany County militia during the American Revolution. The house changed many times over it's 297 year history going from a simple one and a half story home to a bustling leather goods wholesale shop in the mid 19th century under the owner ship of Jared Holt. At the end of the 19th century, the building was a knit underpant and necktie factory. For more about the building's history, stop by for a visit on First Friday
Historic Albany is restoring Van Ostrande-Radliff House to its original appearance and repairing its additions to house HAF's offices, programs, and tool lending library and Parts Warehouse satellites. The project is focusing on highlighting the authentic historic material from the 18th century and reusing architectural salvage to make the project as sustainable as possible.
The tours are free, but we ask that you register your time