Grave of noted architect Philip Hooker. When I first found this monument in a section known as The Church Grounds, it was in poor condition. Several of the broken pieces were propped against a nearby tree. I was happy to see that it has since been assembled and placed upright.Hooker was one of Albany's leading architects of the early 19th-century whose surviving designs include the former Albany Academy building between Lafayette and Academy Parks and a wonderful facade on State Street just below North Pearl Street (currently Bank of America).
The Church Grounds section in the Rural Cemetery has become one of my favorites. Expect more about this fascinating and very historic part in the near future.
The Church Grounds Project
Hello! I live in New Jersey, and just discovered that Philip Hooker is my great-great-great-great uncle (he is the brother of my great x 4 grandfather.) It has been such an exciting discovery for me! From what I've read, in addition to a number of churches in Albany, he designed the Capital building in Albany. Is the one in use the same one he designed or is there a more modern version there today? I'm planning to take a trip with my family to see some of buildings he designed. His father was also an architect & along with his brother designed buildings in Utica, as well. I just wanted to thank you for posting this photograph. There are no known photos of him (although I'm going to begin picking my families brains about who might have one!) Again, I'm so grateful to you for posting this photo as I plan to visit his grave when we come to NY. Is the actual name of the cemetery, "The Church Grounds" as you mentioned in your post? I've never been to Albany, so if you have any tips for traveling there, I'd love to hear them. Thanks again and have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeletePhilip Hooker's headstone appears to have been intact in 1945: https://ef7d494d-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/bethlehemnyhistory/the-church-grounds/cemetery.jpg
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if all of them could be set standing again, and perhaps as I've suggested elsewhere - given a roof (perhaps even a building) to protect them from wear caused by rain and snow. A building crossing a botanical garden with a museum with a mausoleum could be particularly attractive, interesting, and (finally!) a way of letting those early Albany people be "properly interred and cared for in a suitable manner" as was supposed to have been accomplished when that section was created.