Center Square & Hudson/Park in Albany in Albany County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
78 Willett Street
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, September 10, 2026
1. 78 Willett Street Marker
Home of Isaac Waldman
Mann & Waldman Co.
Dry Goods
1878
(additional plaque:)
2006 Preservation Merit Award
78 Willett Street
Entry hood reconstruction
Erected by Historic Albany Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.
Location. 42° 39.235′ N, 73° 46.074′ W. Marker is in Albany, New York, in Albany County. It is in Center Square & Hudson/Park. It is on Willett Street 0.1 miles south of Hudson Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 78 Willett St, 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
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Regarding 78 Willett Street. This 1878 house on Willett Street was the home of Isaac Waldman of Mann & Waldman Co., a prominent Albany dry-goods firm founded in 1851. The business expanded from dry goods and millinery into cloak manufacturing and wholesale trade. By 1900 the Albany city directory listed Waldman at 78 Willett Street. The building remains notable not only for its historic association but also for its preservation: in 2006 Historic Albany Foundation gave 78 Willett Street a Preservation Merit Award for reconstruction of its distinctive entry hood. The house was also later home to Edgar Johnson, biographer of Charles
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, September 16, 2026
2. 78 Willett Street Marker (next to door)
Sources
Albany City Directory, 1876. Lists Isaac Waldman as a member of Mann, Waldman & Co., then at 54 and 58 South Pearl Street, with his residence at 97 Madison Avenue.
Albany City Directory, 1900. Lists Isaac Waldman as associated with Mann & Waldman and gives his residence as 78 Willett Street, directly confirming the house connection.
Landmarks of Albany County, New York (1897). Gives a concise history of Mann, Waldman & Co.: Aaron Mann, Isaac Waldman, and Joseph Mann founded the business in 1851; it began in dry goods and millinery, added cloak manufacturing in 1860, and later developed a wholesale branch. It also notes the retirement of the original partners in 1896.
Mann, Waldman & Co. billhead, October 3, 1863, Kaplan Collection. Describes the firm as wholesale and retail dealers in foreign and domestic dry goods, cloths, silks, shawls, embroideries, hosiery, etc., and as manufacturers of cloaks and mantillas, then at 44, 46 & 48 South Pearl Street.
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Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 17, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 17, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
