Center Square & Hudson/Park in Albany in Albany County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

"The Hudson Theatre Building"

Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, August 19, 2026

1. "The Hudson Theatre Building" Marker

Inscription.
Albany Card & Paper Co. Factory
Built 1872

Renovated 1984
Vulcan Development

Erected by Historic Albany Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.

Location. 42° 39.125′ N, 73° 45.803′ W. Marker is in Albany, New York, in Albany County. It is in Center Square & Hudson/Park. It is on Hudson Avenue 0.1 miles east of Dove Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 270 Hudson Avenue, Albany NY 12210, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York

and in the Capital District.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 282 Hudson Avenue (within shouting distance of

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this marker); 122 Lancaster Street (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Birthplace of Erastus Corning II (approx. 0.2 miles away); 168 Chestnut Street (approx. 0.2 miles away); New York State Office Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); 165 Chestnut Street (approx. 0.2 miles away); 200th Anniversary of the Birth of George Washington (approx. ¼ mile away); George Washington (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Albany.

Regarding "The Hudson Theatre Building". This five-story Italianate building was erected in 1872 as part of the Albany Card and Paper Company's manufacturing complex, which extended from Hudson Avenue through to Hamilton Street. According to 1892 insurance maps, this portion of the complex served as a warehouse and was also used for card cutting, color mixing, glazing, and drying. A contemporary account described the company as a major manufacturer of cardboard and fancy papers in a variety of colors.

The company was seeking government business in the same year this building was completed. In August 1872, just two months after Congress authorized the Postmaster General to issue

The Hudson Theatre Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, August 19, 2026

2. The Hudson Theatre Building

postal cards, its secretary wrote to the Post Office Department requesting specifications for the proposed cards so that the Albany company might consider supplying them. The first U.S. postal cards were issued in May 1873; the manufacturing contract had ultimately been awarded to the Morgan Envelope Company of Springfield, Massachusetts.

The building later passed to a toy manufacturer and in 1916 was converted into the Hudson Theatre. Silent movies were shown there until the early 1930s. The long-vacant building was renovated for apartments in 1984.

Sources:
Waite, Diana S., ed. Albany Architecture: A Guide to the City. Albany: Mount Ida Press, 1993.

Fitzgerald, Edward. The Manufactures of Albany. Albany: Argus Company, 1869.

U.S. Post Office Department / federal correspondence, letter of Albany Card and Paper Company, August 14, 1872, requesting specifications for the proposed postal card.

United States Postal Service Historian. “Stamped Cards and Postcards.”

Credits. This page was last revised on August 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on August 25, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. 2. submitted on August 26, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.