Marcus T. Reynolds

Marcus Tullius Reynolds (August 20, 1869 – March 18, 1937) was an American architect from the Albany, New York area. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, he was raised by his aunt in Albany after the death of his mother. He attended Williams College and Columbia University and began his life as an architect in 1893. He is well known for his bank designs and specifically his design of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company Building in downtown Albany. Many of his buildings still stand today; some are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He was the brother of the Albany historian and author Cuyler Reynolds.

Marcus T. Reynolds
Born(1869-08-20)August 20, 1869
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMarch 18, 1937(1937-03-18) (aged 67)
Albany, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materThe Albany Academy
Williams College
Columbia University
OccupationArchitect
BuildingsDelaware and Hudson Railroad Company Building

Early years

Reynolds was born on August 20, 1869 to Dexter and Catherine Reynolds (née Cuyler) in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. When Catherine Reynolds died in 1875, Dexter placed Marcus and his brother Cuyler under the care of Dexter's sister Laura, widow of Bayard Van Rensselaer, moving them to 98 Columbia Street in Albany, New York. The Reynolds' family connection to the Van Rensselaer family allowed the boys to grow up surrounded by "wealthy, socially, and politically connected Dutch and New England heritage".[1]

As a boy, Reynolds attended Miss Gaylord's Boarding School in Catskill, New York. He later attended The Albany Academy in Albany and graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire in 1886.[1] He entered Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts in the fall, where he became involved in the Sigma Phi fraternity. Reynolds was an avid photographer while in college, documenting architectural details on campus as well as collecting portraits of many of his classmates.[2] Reynolds decided to pursue architecture and enrolled in the architectural program at Columbia University's School of Mines[3] after graduating from Williams in 1890. Reynolds graduated from Columbia in 1893. His thesis,[3] Housing of the Poor in American Cities, won him a prize from the American Economic Society and earned him an honorary Master of Arts degree from Williams College.[1][2] It is still cited in scholarly work to this day.[3]

Professional years

Rather than remain in New York City like many of classmates, Reynolds returned to Albany to begin his professional life. Indeed, Reynolds' social status and connections helped him significantly when looking for work; many of his high-class family friends became clients. Reynolds' first commissions out of college the demolition of the decrepit Van Rensselaer Mansion, which was owned by his cousins. He had much of the original building moved to Williams College where it was incorporated into the replacement Sigma Phi house.[1] The structure was in such bad shape, much of the material was not usable in the new building.[2] His efforts on this project supported his second published work, The Colonial Buildings of Rensselaerwyck.[1]

The most notable of Reynolds' works is the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company Building (D&H Building)—now known as the SUNY System Administration Building—located on Broadway at the bottom of State Street. Bank designs are considered his specialty. Many of his designs took advantage of sites in the city. For example, the D&H Building on its own plaza on Broadway at the base of State Street; the First Trust Company Building diagonally across from D&H plaza; the replacement Albany Academy building on Academy Road; and the Hackett Middle School on Delaware Avenue. Reynolds' practice was not just limited to Albany. He designed the Gideon Putnam hotel in Saratoga Springs, and designed banks in Catskill, Hudson, Amsterdam, and New York City.[3] Many of his buildings are listings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Reynolds died on March 18, 1937 of appendicitis.[1] He is credited by at least one historian for no less than "chang[ing] the face of downtown Albany."[3]

Albany County Portfolio
Year built Building name Image Address Neighborhood Existing NRHP Comments
1893 Albany Terminal Storage Warehouse Co. Tivoli Street Yes No
1893-1895 Van Rensselaer Manor House Albany, New York (original location) No No Rebuilt at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts; demolished 1973
1896–1897 Van Rensselaer Houses 385–389 State Street Downtown Albany Yes No
1898 Albany Country Club Western Avenue No No Remodeled and enlarged
1899–1900 United Traction Company Building 598 Broadway
42°39′7.71″N 73°44′58.55″W		 North Albany/Downtown Yes Yes
1899 Curtis Douglas House 4 Elk Street Downtown Albany Façade remodeled
1899 Garrit Yates Lansing House 294 State Street Center Square Yes No Alterations only
1899 New York State Normal School Dormitory No No Proposal only; never built
1899 Superintendent's House Menands
42°42′22.44″N 73°43′25.83″W		 Albany Rural Cemetery Yes No Albany Rural Cemetery is listed on the National Register on its own; the house is not listed separately
1900–1901 Pruyn Free Library North Pearl Street and Clinton Avenue
42°39′15.35″N 73°45′0.18″W		 Arbor Hill No No
1901 Meads Building 545 Broadway Yes No
1901–1902 Albany City Savings Institution 100 State Street Downtown Albany Yes No
1901–1902 Canon George Carter House 62 South Swan Street
42°39′17.87″N 73°45′30.72″W		 Yes No
1901–1904 Van Rensselaer Apartments Madison Avenue and Lark Street
42°39′8.9″N 73°46′3.72″W		 Center Square Yes No
1902 National Savings Bank 70–72 State Street Downtown Albany No No
1902–1904 Albany Trust Company 31–33 State Street Downtown Albany Yes No Also designed additions in 1908 and the 1930s
1902–1904 New York State National Bank 69 State Street Downtown Albany No No Design addition in 1916
1903–1905 Ryder Apartments 355 State Street Center Square Yes No
1904 First Trust Company Building 35 State St.
42°38′56.62″N 73°45′3.25″W		 Downtown Yes Yes
1904 Edmund Niles Huyck House 319 State Street Center Square Yes No Designed addition in 1915
1904–1906 The Hampton 40 State Street Downtown Albany Yes No
1907–1908 Homeopathic Hospital 123 North Pearl Street No Later Memorial Hospital
1908 William Wallace House 6 Elk Street Downtown Albany Yes No Façade remodeled
1909 William J. Barnes Bungalow 16 Waverly Place No No Designed an addition in 1916; building destroyed by fire. Also known as the SUNY ALbany Chapel at one point.
1910 Hampton Plaza Café No Alterations
1910 Hook and Ladder No. 4 Delaware Avenue
42°38′29.76″N 73°46′46.67″W		 Delaware Avenue Yes Yes
1912–1918 Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company Building Broadway at State Street
42°38′53.11″N 73°44′58.25″W		 Downtown Yes Yes
1913–1915 Albany Industrial Building 1031 Broadway
42°39′54.25″N 73°44′30.87″W		 North Albany Yes No
1915 Harmon Pumpelly Read House 7 Elk Street
42°39′11.65″N 73°45′15.56″W		 Downtown Yes No Façade remodeled
1915–1916 Municipal Gas Company Building 126 State Street
42°39′1.48″N 73°45′16.75″W		 Downtown Yes No
1922–1924 Public School No. 4 Madison Avenue and Ontario Street No No
1924 Albany City Savings Institution 100 State Street
42°38′59.42″N 73°45′12.25″W		 Downtown Yes No
1925–1927 William S. Hackett Junior High School 45 Delaware Avenue
42°38′59.32″N 73°46′11.37″W		 Delaware Avenue Yes No
1928–1931 The Albany Academy Academy Road
42°38′45.62″N 73°47′13.32″W		 Yes No
1930 The Albany Academy
(Joseph Henry Memorial)		 Academy Park
42°39′10.91″N 73°45′17.77″W		 Downtown Yes Yes Oversaw the conversion of the original Albany Academy into district offices for the City School District of Albany.

Greene County Portfolio
Year built Building name Image Address Neighborhood Existing NRHP Comments
1909 Catskill Savings Bank 341 Main Street
42°13′04.3″N 73°51′54.4″W		 Catskill Yes Yes

Saratoga County Portfolio
Year built Building name Image Address City Existing NRHP Comments
1912 Manufacturer's National Bank
7 North Main Street, Mechanicville, NY 12118

42.902844°N 73.687025°W / 42.902844; -73.687025

 Mechanicville Yes No Building is now used for a private school.

Published works
  • Reynolds, Marcus T. (Apr–Jun 1895). "Colonial Buildings of Rensselaerwyck". Architectural Record. IV (4).

References
  1. Murnane, Thomas F. (October 2000). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Hook and Ladder No. 4". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
  2. Jeffers, Matthew (2006-09-30). "Marcus Tullius Reynolds". Williams College Archives and Special Collections. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
  3. Reynolds, Kenneth G. Jr (2009). "Marcus T. Reynolds". In Dianna S. Waite (ed.). Architects in Albany. Mount Ida Press and Historic Albany Foundation. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-0-9625368-6-1.
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