ALBANY – The Woman’s Club in Albany on Wednesday opened the start of reconstruction of the porch of its historic home at 725 Madison Ave. and the creation of an accessible entrance on the first floor of the building.
The club affectionately calls it “the best view on Madison Avenue,” and the work crowns a fundraising campaign that included the award of two state grants.
According to the club, the reconstruction will be divided into two projects.
Project 1 includes demolition, new foundations, repair of stone steps and adjacent walls, and reconstruction of the porch floor. The work will be carried out by PCC Contracting of Schenectady.
Project 2 includes the completion of the construction of the masonry walls and the construction of the access ramp.
The buildings are part of the Washington Park Historic District, a local historic district listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
A little history
Here is more information provided by the club:
The building itself was constructed in 1895 as the residence of Albany merchant Joseph Steefel and his wife Hattie. The Woman’s Club at Albany bought it in 1919 and uses it for club functions and public events. It is also available for rental.
Many of the original details of the house on the first floor, including the fireplaces, chandeliers and woodwork, remain intact. The second floor previously housed bedrooms but now contains a ballroom whose design reflects the rest of the house.
The neighboring twin house was built for Steefel’s brother, Barnard. Both houses were designed by Nolan, Nolan and Stern of Rochester, where the Steefel family settled after immigrating from Germany to the United States in the 1850s. Joseph and Barnard moved to Albany at the end of the years 1880 to open their store. It remained in operation until the 1970s.
The Woman’s Club of Albany was founded in 1910 as a civic organization to help women and children and to improve conditions in the city of Albany. He continues this mission today throughout the capital region by offering voluntary financial and practical support to numerous organizations that provide direct services to the community.