You don’t have to live in Center Square to love it. Whether you’re an architecture buff, a history nerd, a weekend visitor, or someone considering a move, here’s how to experience and support the neighborhood.
Walk the Neighborhood
Center Square is one of the most walkable and architecturally-historic neighborhoods in Albany. Most of the homes were built between 1850 and 1900, and the streetscapes along Lancaster, Chestnut, and Dove Streets are largely unchanged from the late 19th century. The following self-guided resources could help your walk around the neighborhood:
- Discover Albany Self-Guided Walking Tour brochure: downloadable PDF covering downtown Albany including Center Square
- Albany I Spy Architectural Scavenger Hunt: 12 architectural clues across downtown; great for families
- Artful Albany guided walking tour podcast: audio tour celebrating Albany’s art, history, and culture
The Annual House & Garden Tour
The CSA House & Garden Tour is one of Albany’s most beloved annual events and a rare opportunity to see behind the doors of Center Square’s historic row houses. Homeowners open their private homes and gardens for a single afternoon, and the simultaneous Stoop Stroll invites visitors to admire decorated stoops throughout the neighborhood.
See our calendar and the house and garden tour page for more details.
Nearby Arts, Food, & Culture
Bordering Center Square, the downtown and Lark Street corridors are the commercial and social spine of Albany’s downtown.
Monthly Events
- 1st Friday Albany: free monthly arts walk on Lark Street, first Friday of every month
Nearby Cultural Institutions
- Albany Center Gallery: promotes and exhibits art produced by the region’s emerging and established artists and engages, enriches, and inspires the community to appreciate the importance of art.
- Albany Institute of History and Art: one of the oldest museums in the US, with rotating and permanent collections spanning Albany’s full history
- Empire State Plaza: public art, outdoor concerts, farmers market, and the iconic modernist architecture of the Rockefeller-era capitol complex
- Lark Hall: Concert venue on nearby Lark Street
- New York State Museum: free admission; covers the art, history, science, and natural history of New York
- The Egg: performing arts center at the Empire State Plaza, featuring music, theater, and dance
- Washington Park: 84 acres of green space just blocks from Center Square, host to the Albany Tulip Festival every May, a summer farmer’s market, and countless community events year-round
Thinking About Moving Here?
Center Square scores among the highest walkability ratings of any Albany neighborhood. Residents consistently cite the architecture, the community, and the proximity to Washington Park as the top reasons they love living here. The neighborhood is served by the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) with multiple bus lines running along Lark Street and Madison Avenue.
- Discover Albany — Center Square neighborhood guide
- CDTA bus routes and schedules
- City of Albany Neighborhoods overview
Neighboring Associations & Organizations
CSA is one organization in a single neighborhood of a vibrant city. A non-exhaustive list of other neighborhood associations and organization includes:
