Bishop Doane setting the cornerstone of The Cathedral of All Saints, June 3, 1884. President Grover Cleveland, then Governor of New York state, stands at the rear of the platform near the umbrella.
What was envisioned, but only ever forty-percent finished…..
The Cathedral of All Saints is upheld by flying buttresses, following the design of medieval cathedrals. The New York State Education building is seen on the left with Elk St. on the right. On the opposite side of Elk stood St. Agnes School for girls, also envisioned by Bishop William Croswell Doane.
Designed and built by Robert Wilson Gibson in the late 19th Century, the Cathedral is Gothic Revival in style and was designed in the shape of a modified Greek cross with short transepts and squared ends. Its exterior is clad in warm-hued and durable Potsdam stone. Its interior is graced by stone and wood carvings and by striking stained glass windows designed by Clayton and Bell of London, LaFarge, and other notable stained glass designers.
The high altar with the East Window designed by Clayton and Bell above.
At 320 feet in length and 130 feet at the transepts, the Cathedral is the fifth largest traditional church in America. Click here to read the Cathedral's architectural history written by the principals of the architectural firm responsible for the last major restoration phase at the Cathedral.
Drawings by R. W. Gibson, the Cathedral’s architect. More of his drawings can be found in the Cathedral archives and in the archives of the Albany Institute of History and Art.