Video: H.H. Richardson presentation at the NYS Court of Appeals

The ornate courtroom of the New York State Court of Appeals was filled with spectators on Monday, Nov. 17, to listen to architects -- not lawyers -- celebrate the magnificent achievements of H.H. Richardson, the 19th-century visionary whose work helped create and shape Albany’s architectural landscape.

Watch the full presentation here.

The program featured a lively discussion with the creators of H.H. Richardson: Drawings from the Collection of Houghton Library, Harvard University (2024), featuring more than 4,000 drawings, unpublished sketches, renderings, and plans of more than 50 projects.

Speaking at the event were:

Hon. Rowan D. Wilson, Chief Judge of the State of New York and New York Court of Appeals;

Henry Greenberg, shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP, and Vice Chair of the Historical Society of the New York Courts; and the authors of the book:

Jay Wickersham, architect, lawyer, architectural historian and former professor in practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Design;

Chris Milford, a partner in the architectural firm of Milford & Ford Associates, specializing in historic preservation and restoration; and

Hope Mayo, the former Philip Hofer Curator of Printing and Graphic Arts at Harvard’s Houghton Library.​

The presentation in the Courtroom of the Court of Appeals — designed by Richardson in 1881 -- afforded a rare opportunity for the public to visit the courtroom. With its elaborate hand-carved oak paneling, furniture, and marble and Mexican onyx fireplace, the Courtroom is considered one of the finest 19th-century governmental chambers and was moved in pieces from its original location in the Capitol building.

Richardson was well-recognized by his peers; of 10 buildings named by American architects as the best in 1885, fully half were his: including Albany City Hall and the New York State Capitol.

Below, sketches of the NYS Capitol from the book.