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Health & Fitness

The Devil's in the Spooky Details

Did you know the Devil resides in Albany City Hall in New York?

No, I’m not talking about the politicians who work there. I’m talking about a very spooky phenomenon living on the walls of the building.

One of the wonderful advantages of being an architecture and design expert and consultant is that I get to lead very cool tours all over the U.S. Next week, I will be leading a tour of Hudson Valley mansions in upstate New York, which will include a stop at Albany City Hall.

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I’ve already visited the civic building, built in the late 1800s – and that’s when I first saw Satan’s burned face. And it’s what happens to that face that’s creepy.

You see, it appears that one of the building’s craftsmen, as a little joke, carved a "devil is in the details" face in the brownstone of one of the interior hallways. The face was hidden in some foliage and at some point became blackened.

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Upon its discovery, the jokester craftsman was dismissed. But – and here is where it gets eerie – no matter how many cleaning crews have tried, the devil's face consistently and mysteriously becomes blackened again. 

Aside from the devil’s face, Albany City Hall is worth visiting for its exemplary Richardsonian Romanesque style, as made famous by Henry Hobson Richardson. 

Designed in 1883, it replaced the earlier City Hall that had burned in 1880.  Richardsonian Romanesque is characterized by massive, rough rock walls and dramatic semi-circular arches, often in contrasting colors of light and dark stone. 

The walls are carved from granite with brownstone trim. Many of the stonecutters who were brought to Albany from Europe to work on the State Capitol building (also designed by Richardson) were hired to do the details on City Hall, particularly the gargoyles and foliated forms. 

Be sure to visit this landmark building the next time you are in upstate New York. 

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