News Article

The Kenmore Building: A Must-See Site for Amazing Architecture & History

September 13, 2024

Standing on the corner of North Pearl Street & Columbia Street, the beautiful Kenmore Building in Downtown Albany is loaded with amazing history!

Built in 1878 by renowned local entrepreneur Adam Blake, this building was designed to be “the most elegant structure on the finest street in Albany”. 74 North Pearl became home to the Kenmore Hotel, which was Blake’s ultimate dream and quickly became extremely successful thanks to its convenience for visitors and its high-quality hospitality. Boasting a beautiful blend of Victorian and Queen Anne architecture, the Kenmore was a standout building among Albany, New York’s thriving hospitality and entertainment district west of Broadway.

Unfortunately, Adam passed away in 1881 and wasn’t able to witness the full height of the hotel’s success, however his legacy lived on both within the community and with his widow Catherine taking over the hotel. After she took the reins, Catherine expanded the space with the purchasing of the former YMCA space and the Pruyn building, creating a larger and grander Kenmore Hotel. The hotel continued to flourish for many years and later became home to the Rain-Bo Room, a famous nightclub frequented by the infamous Jack “Legs” Diamond and was featured numerous times in novels by William Kennedy.

In 1986, the Kenmore was renovated into an office building, and this opened up over 85,000 square feet of rentable space. The Kenmore was later listed for sale in 2016 and since then, this historic structure has been transformed and updated while keeping Adam Blake’s legacy and vision intact both architecturally and historically! Today you’ll find wonderful establishments like The Blake Annex, Alias Coffee, The Kenmore Ballroom, The Skinny Pancake, Banh Mi 47, and Wizard Burger within this historic downtown building!

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