A) Ten Broeck Mansion
The Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany was built in 1797. It is a private non-profit organization who’s mission is to demonstrate the educational historical culture of Albany. The Ten Broeck Mansion holds events and is known to have hands-on programs for the community to participate in.
“Ten Broeck Mansion.” Ten Broeck Mansion. Accessed March 03, 2016. http://www.tenbroeckmansion.org/.
B) Albany Institute of History and Art
The Albany Insitute of History and Art is a museum that was founded in 1791. Its purpose is to preserve the culture of Albany and the upper Hudson Valley region. It participates in an educational outreach program that has served over 10,000 teacher, students, and families.
“About AIHA.” Nationally Significant Collections – New York Museums. Accessed March 03, 2016. http://www.albanyinstitute.org/about-the-albany-institute.html.
C) New York State Capitol
The New York State Capitol was constructed in the 1860’s and has served as the seats of the government for New York since the nineteenth century.
“Capitol Redux.” The New York Times. 2013. Accessed March 03, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/10/nyregion/a-tour-of-the-new-york-state-capitol.html?_r=0.
D) Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site was built on 1761. It is the home of the historic Revolutionary War General Philip Schuyler.
“Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site.” – Albany, NY. Accessed March 03, 2016. http://www.albany.org/listings/Schuyler-Mansion-State-Historic-Site/575/.
E) Historical Cherry Hill
Cherry Hill was built on 1787. It opened as a museum on 1964. It is known to have award-winning education programs that have helped students enhance their critical thinking skills.
“Historic Cherry Hill.” Historic Cherry Hill. Accessed March 03, 2016. http://www.historiccherryhill.org/about/.
According to Google Maps, my Historical Buildings Tour will last for a total of 57 minutes long:
Point A to Point B = 17 minutes
Point B to Point C = 5 minutes
Point C to Point D = 22 minutes
Point D to Point E = 13 minutes
Within the first stages of choosing a topic for my walking tour, I faced great difficulty in choosing a topic. One of the challenges I faced was coming up with a topic that I valued enough to peek my interest. After days of pondering, I came up with the idea of making the focus of my walking tour of buildings that were created during the era of the nineteenth century. That topic seemed simple enough, and although one could appreciate the beauty of architectural sites, I simply thought I would have no interest in the information I gathered about each of the buildings. Shockingly, I was wrong! The Historical Buildings Walking Tour consist of many locations that share a common theme. All of the houses in the tour brings forth an educational purpose to their respective communities. The buildings have either been turned into museums or serve as political empowering places that enforce change in the community. Each building has a hands-on approach and is actively involved in their community. Members of the community are allowed to interact with the historical buildings by participating in real life walking tours for an approximate duration of thirty to forty-five minutes.
The audience for this tour consist of students, teachers, toddlers, families, and much more. Anyone that has an interest in the culture of Albany would be interested in this tour. After the visitors participates in the walking tour they will understand the historical significance each building has to Albany. They will also understand the educational and political impact some of the building have.
The three question that will help conclude the research of the project is listed below:
1) How much did it cost to create each building?
2) What are some of the educational programs that the museums provide?
3) Have the buildings been remodeled to fit the modern twenty-first-century custom?
The idea to focus the tour on 19th century homes is a good one, but right now you’re pulling in a lot of different directions by including the state capitol and the AIHA. I strongly suggest focusing down on 19th century homes by going through these images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/albanygroup/sets/72157635539065506 as well as these: https://www.flickr.com/photos/albanygroup/sets/72157643386352405 and the Historic Albany homes plaques: https://public.tableau.com/views/Albanywalkingtourstreetview/Dashboard1?:embed=y&:showVizHome=no&:showTabs=y#3 to see if you can find homes that fit your theme, rather than just going with “old buildings.” Try to think broadly about what used to be there, rather than just what’s there now, and think about what you can say that your visitor can’t just get from the museum website–after all, if it’s on the museum website, why should they bother going on your tour? 300 words per location isn’t that many, so push yourself to investigate the architecture or the person who lived there–remember that you don’t need to be specific to that building, you can talk about “Victorian architecture” or “19th century apartment buildings” generally, etc.