The history of Albany's Quackenbush House
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Quackenbush House, located at 683 Broadway in Albany, has a historic past. Today, the building houses The Old English Pub, a restaurant that features an English menu.
The Quackenbush House was built around 1736 and is named after the Dutch family who settled in Albany for over 200 years. Here's the history of the house, according to The Old English Pub website.
The first people to live in The Quackenbush House was Pieter Quackenbush and his family. They arrived in the mid-to-late 1600s in Fort Orange, a growing fur trading community. Quackenbush bought a brickyard in 1668 on the land where the house stands today.
The front half of the building facing Broadway is considered the oldest. The back half dates to the late 18th century. The front has classic Dutch brick patterns and building techniques.
The most prominent family member was Hendrick Quackenbush, a colonel in the Revolutionary Army. After the victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, he was tasked with escorting captured British General John Burgoyne. When Burgoyne was turned over to General Phillip Schuyler, the troops camped out in front of the house.
Descendants of the Quackenbush family lived in the home until 1864. Since then, the home has been a bakery, and antique store, a boarding house, drug store, lithographer, furniture store and tavern.
In the 1970s, New York State bought the home with plans to demolish it. A team of concerned citizens convinced the City of Albany to save it, citing its historical significance. In 1972, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Quackenbush House is the anchor for Quackenbush Square. The area around the home is a pedestrian walkway and the 1870s water pump station next door was restored for commercial use. Today, it is home to the Albany Visiting Center and the Albany Pump Station. The Quackenbush House was then restored and turned into The Old English Pub.
The owner leased the building in 2010 to The Olde English Pub owners Mark and Greta Graydon. In 2021, while temporarily shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the owners completed repairs and updates to the building.
The Olde English Pub serves English staples such as fish and chips, bangers and hash, and a pub pie. The menu also has cultural influences of India and the Caribbean. The pub features British beers, domestic beers, single malt scotches, wine, and cocktails. You can view the brunch, lunch and dinner menus on the Old English Pub website.
In September 2021, The Old English Pub celebrated its 10th anniversary with Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan declaring the day "Olde English Pub and Pantry Day." Actor Nick Offerman also visited the pub for a 2022 episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?," which filmed in Albany, Fonda, and Johnstown.