Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, NY, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Cathedral of All Saints is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, a large Gothic church of sandstone at 62 South Swan Street in Albany, New York. It is best known as a cathedral that was never quite finished, and it stands a short walk from the state government buildings.

The story behind it

The cathedral was the dream of William Croswell Doane, the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, who began his work in the city in 1869. Building started in the 1880s to a Gothic design by Robert W. Gibson, a young English-born architect. According to the route creators, his plan won out over an entry from the celebrated Henry Hobson Richardson.

Gibson's design called for two spires at the eastern end, but they were never built. Only their foundations remain, which is why the cathedral is often described as permanently incomplete. Today a working church sits beside the seat of New York State government, still without the towers its architect drew.

What to look for

• Look up at the eastern end and imagine the two spires that were planned but never raised; the foundations are all that exist.
• Take in the warm sandstone walls and the pointed arches that mark the building as Gothic in style.
• Notice how the cathedral sits at the corner of Elk and South Swan Streets, so close to the government district that church and state share the same skyline.
• Compare the scale of the building with the quiet residential streets around it, which makes it feel even larger.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 15 to 20 minutes for the exterior, and longer if the doors are open to visitors.
• This is an active church, so check current opening hours and service times before planning to go inside.
• Soft morning or late afternoon light is kind to the stonework and makes photographs easier.
• The Capitol and Capitol Park are close by, so it is easy to pair the cathedral with a longer walk through downtown Albany.

See it on a quest

On Ghost Hunt in Albany you reach the cathedral on foot as one stop of a longer route through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you, so you look at the building properly instead of walking past. One ticket covers the whole group.

Dorothy’s Quest: The Trials of Oz in Capitol Park, Albany, NY is another way to see it, with an Oz theme and a route around Capitol Park. You walk between stops at your own pace, hear the story of each place as you get there and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.