08/31/2026
Preservation in Action at the Historic Reynolds House!
For three consecutive Saturdays, the historic Reynolds House at Albany Rural Cemetery again became a hands-on preservation classroom as Jim Post of Albany Foundation led participants through the traditional craft of plaster repair.
Designed by renowned Albany architect Marcus T. Reynolds in 1899, the Reynolds House served until the early 1970s as the residence of Albany Rural Cemetery’s Superintendents. Today, we are working carefully to preserve this important piece of the Cemetery’s history — one room at a time.
And those three Saturdays made a real difference: we nearly have one room completed!
These classes are about much more than learning a traditional craft. Participants are helping us make meaningful progress on the House while learning hands-on preservation skills they can put to work in caring for their own historic homes.
Our sincere thanks to everyone who gave their time and energy over these three Saturdays. A very special thank you goes to Jim Post for his exceptional craftsmanship, knowledge, patience, and willingness to share his skills with others. We are also tremendously grateful to Albany Foundation for its continued partnership with the Friends of the Albany Rural Cemetery and support of our preservation efforts.
There is much more to do, and we will continue moving forward room by room and class by class, with additional hands-on preservation opportunities planned for the future.
And, there’s more to come! This October, Albany Foundation is hoping to sponsor another hands-on preservation class at the Reynolds House, this time focused on historic window repair! Participants will once again have the opportunity to learn a valuable preservation skill they can use in their own homes while helping us bring our remarkable historic building back to life.
Thank you to everyone!
