A while back someone asked my why there was a giant tarp shrouding the front of a building in the 300 block of Albany’s N.W. First Avenue. The shroud was gone when I stopped the bike there Sunday, and everyone now can see the remodeling going on.
This has been called the Briggs Building after one John Briggs, who built it in 1875. In the paperwork for Landmarks Commission approval of the remodeling project in May 2023, the building was said to be the oldest wood-framed commercial structure still standing in downtown Albany.
For much of the 20th century the address (333 First Ave. N.W) was that of a succession of photography studios, including Frank Fisher’s from 1942 until 1980…