Philip Hooker (10/28/1766-1/31/1836) Albany NY

Son of Samuel Hooker, a carpenter and builder of the late eighteenth century, he settled in Albany with his family in 1772, and Phillip, after close application in the research of ancient and modern architecture, began a career for himself in 1790. Albany was then buy a frontier village, and during the next three decades the young man made the most of his opportunity as the only architect in the vicinity to build up a thriving city. Of the public structures he planned and built, there was the first State Capitol, all the municipal buildings and six churches, in addition to other structures in New York City and elsewhere in the state.

A large part of his work was designed in the Federal Style, with certain characteristics of the Greek Revival. His earliest building, begun in 1797, was the old North Dutch Church, similar in design to Bulfinch's Hollis St. Church in Boston, which was extensively altered in 1858. On this building Mr. Hooker furnished the plans, with Elisha Putname named as "undertaker" (contractor) and the amount of the contract as recorded was $25,000.

Other buildings in Albany planned by Mr. Hookers were: St. Peter's Church (the second building) built 1802, demolished 1859; NY State Bank, 1803, superseded in 1927 by a new building in which the original State Street front formed the main entrance; South Dutch Church, built 1805, destroyed by fire 1892; State Capitol, original building, built 1804-1806, razed 1883, it stood on the south side of Capitol Park on State Street, just east of the present capitol; Bank of Albany (third building), built 1810, razed; Albany Academy, 1815; Lancaster School, 1815, destroyed 1868; First Lutheran Church (third building), built 1816, razed 1868; Pearl Street Theatre, 1824 (after being damaged by fire in 1867, was rebuilt as a theatre in 1869 with parts of the original building incorporated in the present Proctor Leland Theatre); Fourth Presbyterian Church, 1828, razed 1865; Washington Market, built 1828, destroyed 1869; St. Mary's Church, the second building at the northwest corner of Pine and Chapel Avenue (built 1839, razed 1867); City Hall, the original building, 1829, destroyed by fire in 1880.

Among Mr. Hookers work in other cities were the second building of Union Collage at Schenectady, 1797, no longer standing; Trinity Church at Utica, built in 1802, demolished in 1927; First Presbyterian Church at Cazenovia, 1804, altered about 1870; Hyde Hall at Copperstown, the older part dating from 1811, with additions made in 1813; Hamilton College Chapel at Clinton, NY, dating from 1825; and the First Presbyterian Church at Utica, the second building erected in 1826, and destroyed by fire in 1851. The present church was built in 1922.

In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Hooker was a prominent figure in political life in Albany, having served seven years as Assessor, two as Alderman, City Superintendent from 1821 to 1827, and finally Surveyor from 1819 to 1832, when he retired, a few years before his death.