Already famous for the Beaux-Arts neoclassical style evident in the New York Historical Society building and the Herbert Hoover Building in Washington DC, architectural firm York and Sawyer were commissioned to build the headquarters for the National Commercial Bank and Trust in Albany in 1902.

Over a century later, the building was converted into an event space with luxury residences. 

The main hall of the event space is nearly a cube in shape, and clad in its original polished stone. The solution left all of the polished stone acoustically exposed, and utilized fibrous stone (mineral wool) high in the room to reduce reverberation and problematic reflections. A tuned audio system that carefully avoids over-exciting the room added the final touch.

The project received a 2015 Preservation Merit Award from the Historic Albany Foundation.

Location Albany, NY

Client The Gordon Companies

Architect Neil Pelone