Center Square & Hudson/Park in Albany in Albany County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
44 Willett Street
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, October 4, 2026
1. 44 Willett Street Marker
Charles Lansing Pruyn
1879
Henry Hobbs Richardson
Consulting architect
1879-1897 Mr. & Mrs. Charles Lansing Pruyn
1897-1927 Mr.& Mrs. Edgar Cottrell Leonard
1927-1935 Mrs. John Davis Parsons
1935- Mr. & Mrs. Clement M. Bensinger
Entrance altered 1935
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 42° 39.307′ N, 73° 46′ W. Marker is in Albany, New York, in Albany County. It is in Center Square & Hudson/Park. It is on Willett Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 44 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 walking
this page online
Regarding 44 Willett Street. The Architecture of 44 Willett Street
The house at 44 Willett Street was designed for Charles Lansing Pruyn by the New York City architectural firm of Potter & Robertson and constructed in 1879–1880. The architects, William Appleton Potter and Robert Henderson Robertson, had previously designed a house at 38 Willett Street for Charles's brother, Robert Clarence Pruyn, in 1877. The two residences formed part of a distinguished group of late nineteenth-century houses overlooking Albany's Washington Park.
Potter & Robertson were known for their work in the High Victorian Gothic
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, October 4, 2026
2. 44 Willett Street
The original design for 44 Willett Street was published in American Architect and Building News in 1880. According to Albany Architecture: A Guide to the City, the original house had three stories. The uppermost story, with its three arched windows and substantial columns ornamented with foliate carvings, may have been added relatively soon after construction.
Other changes included the large bowed window and the three-part first-floor window. The main entrance was eventually moved to the basement level. The historic plaque records an entrance alteration in 1955.
The house retains distinctive ornamental ironwork, including Albany Architecture notes that similar ironwork appears at 30 Willett Street and 441 State Street. The design recalls an ironwork pattern exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.
The historic plaque identifies Henry Hobson Richardson as a consulting architect for the house, while Albany Architecture attributes the design
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, October 4, 2026
3. 44 Willett Street Ironwork
Despite alterations, the house remains an important example of the elaborate residential architecture developed along Washington Park during the late nineteenth century.
Sources
National Park Service. "Robert Henderson Robertson." Biographical information on the architect and his partnership with William Appleton Potter. https://www.nps.gov/people/robert-henderson-robertson.htm
Waite, Diana S., ed. Albany Architecture: A Guide to the City. Albany: Mount Ida Press, 1993, pp. 104, 165, 179–180. Entries for the Pruyn Building, 441 State Street, 44 Willett Street, 38 Willett Street, and 40–42 Willett Street.
The Residents of 44 Willett Street: The Pruyn and Leonard Families
The house at 44 Willett Street was built for Charles Lansing Pruyn (1852–1906), son of Robert Hewson Pruyn, a prominent Albany attorney, banker, and former United States minister to Japan. Charles was active in Albany's commercial and civic life, serving as president of the Albany Embossing Company and Albany Forge and as a director or trustee of several
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, October 4, 2026
4. 44 Willett Street
Close-up of ironwork
Charles married Elizabeth Atwood McClintock in 1877. She died in December 1884, and Charles subsequently donated an altar and reredos to St. Peter's Church in Albany in her memory. In 1886, he married Sarah Gibson Talcott. Thus, the building's historical plaque, which lists "Mr. & Mrs. Charles Lansing Pruyn" for 1879–1897, encompasses two successive marriages.
In 1897, the house became the residence of Edgar Cotrell Leonard and his wife, Elizabeth Fenn Woolworth Leonard, commonly known as Bessie. The Leonard family was associated with Cotrell & Leonard, the prominent Albany hat and fur business located at 472–478 Broadway. An 1884 description of the firm noted that its trade extended throughout New York and into Massachusetts and Vermont.
The business also played an important role in the development of American academic dress. Edgar's younger brother, Gardner Cotrell Leonard, designed a cap and gown for his graduating class at Williams College in 1887, with the garments manufactured through Cotrell & Leonard. Gardner subsequently helped develop the standardized system of academic regalia adopted by an intercollegiate commission in 1895.
Bessie Leonard was active in Albany's cultural, educational, and charitable organizations. She was particularly involved with the Albany Fresh Air Guild, which arranged summer visits to rural homes for children from disadvantaged families. She was also a collector of autographs and bookplates. Following her death in 1925, Edgar Leonard donated her collection of hundreds of bookplates to the New York State Library, where her personal papers are also preserved. An obituary for her appeared in The New York Times, reflecting the recognition she received beyond Albany for her cultural and philanthropic activities.
According to the plaque, Mrs. John Davis Parsons occupied the house from 1927 to 1955. Mr. and Mrs. Clement M. Bensinger followed in 1955, the year an alteration to the entrance was recorded.
The succession of households at 44 Willett Street reflects the commercial, cultural, and civic life of Albany over nearly a century, from the Pruyn family's business and international connections to the Leonard family's contributions to the clothing trade, academic traditions, and charitable organizations.
Sources
New York State Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections. Elizabeth F. Leonard Papers, SC9836. https://nysl.nysed.gov/msscfa/sc9836
Reynolds, Cuyler, ed. Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911. Vol. I, pp. 137–144, Pruyn family; Vol. II, pp. 553–557, Leonard family.
Waite, Diana S., ed. Albany Architecture: A Guide to the City. Albany: Mount Ida Press, 1993, p. 179, entry for 44 Willett Street.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 10, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
