In the Year of St. Joseph, recalling a church named after him

It was the summer of 2014 and I found myself inside St. Joseph’s Church located on the corner of First and Ten Broeck Streets in Albany. The air inside was musty and it was eerily quiet. Sunlight through huge memorial stained-glass windows illuminated wooden angels with a heavenly glow. The light was both enchanting and bittersweet. Since closing its doors in 1994, the heavenly light shines for nobody. I felt fortunate to see it before the church is no more.    

Much has been written about St. Joseph’s Church over the last decades and it has often been the subject of lively debate about what to do with it. Its history is well-documented and thus there will not be a recap of it here except to remind everyone the same architect, Patrick C. Keely, designed the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the majestic twin-spired brownstone that stands in stark contrast to the modern Empire State Plaza in its midst. His genius gave us two of the most beautiful places of worship the City of Albany has ever seen. 

I was not alone on that summer day when I walked through the church’s heavy side door. Norman Rice and Jack McEneny (the two need no introduction) were instrumental in getting the city to give us access to the interior. Our mission was to allow Roy Stevens, a talented local photographer, free rein to capture the essence of the church as it stood then, warts and all. Two cousins from out West, Kathleen and Gretchen Quinn, were present as well. A memorial window from the Quinn family was placed in the church in the late 1850s and they wanted to see it. Though it was sad to see peeling paint and fallen plaster all around, the windows did not disappoint. They were still stunning. 

Roy clicked away for hours on several different days. With his discerning eye and expert skill with the camera, he gave us something unique to cherish for all time. His work tells the story of a once imposing beauty in a state of decay. And yet, somehow, it is still beautiful. Roy died two years after creating this wonderful pictorial narrative of St. Joseph’s Church. His collection of photographs is among the many wonderful things he left us. In honor of Pope Francis declaring this the Year of St. Joseph, I thought it appropriate to share some of Roy’s images he gave me before he joined many of St. Joseph’s Church’s early benefactors in eternal rest on Founders Hill in St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands.   

Kelly Grimaldi is associate ­director of Albany Diocesan Cemeteries.