A diverse group of stakeholders is organizing and raising funds to restore the long-vacant Memorial Guild House at Albany’s Cathedral of All Saints, empty and disused since 1978.
The Guild House, given by cathedral member Oscar Lawrence Hascy (1832-1920) in memory of his son Clarence Hubbard Hascy (1858-77) in 1902, was the work of American architect Marcus Tullius Reynolds (1869-1937). The building was intended to supplement the deanery and chancellor’s houses adjacent to the cathedral. It cost $35,000 in 1902 — or nearly $1.2 million today.
The Very Rev. Leander Harding, dean of the cathedral since 2017, welcomes the initiative to restore the ministry space. Previous restoration efforts have stalled out but did not include the visionary interest of John R. Zagame, a New York State Assembly member from 1975 to 1980.
Zagame’s connections and experience unite cathedral staff, engineers, preservation activists, the College of St. Rose, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture, contractors and construction companies, the Historic Albany Foundation, the Greater Capital Region Building and Constructions Trades Council, web developers, 3D imaging specialists, and church historians in a configuration with a fighting chance.
A website at guildhousealbany.com offers a 3D tour of the Guild House, a gallery, press coverage, the development plan, and a drone video of the premises.
The cathedral originally used the building for catechetical, sports, devotional, and social programs. The three-story building includes stained glass, classrooms, a kitchen, a basketball court, and a meeting hall. Conservative estimates for the stabilization and restoration project may take more than $5 million. An initial $100,000 donation from an anonymous supporter will assist application for grants from historical and social agencies, including the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
A first client keen to use the restored Guild House is a Haitian immigrant community assisted by the cathedral in English as a Second Language courses. Another priority is outfitting the space for after-school classes and meal programs. A geothermal heating and air-conditioning system will be a gold-standard example for other rehabilitation and preservation efforts on a similar scale in the 9,000 square-foot building.
“The Lord has put this on Mr. Zagame’s heart,” Dean Harding said in a March phone interview. “We have very high hopes for what will happen here.”
