Million Dollar Staircase

Albany stands on land that was long a crossroads of the Mohican and the Haudenosaunee, the Six Nations, at the meeting of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, and it became one of the oldest continuous European settlements in the country as a Dutch trading post. It has served as New York's capital since the late eighteenth century.

The current capitol was begun in 1867 and took more than three decades to finish, passing through a succession of architects who changed its style as they went. The result is a massive, richly detailed building whose cost and long construction became legendary, with the Million Dollar Staircase the crown of its interior.

The staircase was carved from soft red sandstone that allowed fine, deep detail, and teams of skilled stonecutters, many of them immigrant craftsmen, spent years working the faces and figures by hand. The result is a dense tapestry of portraits, animals, foliage, and ornament climbing the walls and arches.

Among the carved heads are famous Americans, from statesmen to writers, but the carvers were also allowed to include portraits of ordinary people they knew, and even likenesses of themselves. Finding the famous faces, and the hidden ones, is part of the pleasure of standing at the foot of the stairs and looking up.

The capitol crowns a hill above the Hudson, and just beyond it stretches the Empire State Plaza, a sweeping mid-twentieth-century complex of marble government towers, reflecting pools, and modern art. Together they make one of the most striking government precincts in the country.

The plaza also holds the New York State Museum and the curved performance hall known as The Egg, so a visit to the staircase folds easily into a fuller day. From the plaza's edges, the views reach out over Albany and the river valley below.

Because the staircase is indoors, it welcomes visitors in every season, and the capitol's tours run through the year on the state's schedule. Spring and fall are pleasant times to combine it with a walk around the plaza and downtown Albany.

Summer brings the warmest weather for exploring the plaza's outdoor spaces and art, while winter turns the marble expanse stark and quiet. Whatever the season outside, the carved sandstone of the staircase looks much the same, warm and richly detailed under the interior light.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Million Dollar Staircase is the ornate Grand Staircase, also called the Great Western Staircase, inside the New York State Capitol in Albany. A breathtaking masterpiece of hand-carved red sandstone, it earned its nickname from the enormous sum, about a million dollars, spent building it in the late nineteenth century, a fortune at the time. It is considered one of the finest examples of stone craftsmanship in the country and a highlight of the Capitol.

The staircase is adorned with hundreds of faces painstakingly carved into the stone, including famous historical figures chosen for their importance, alongside whimsical faces of ordinary people, said to include friends and family of the stone carvers themselves. Spotting the many faces, both celebrated and unknown, is part of the fun, and the incredible detail reflects years of work by skilled artisans, making it a genuine work of art.

The staircase is inside the working New York State Capitol, so you see it by visiting the building, either on a free guided tour, which is the best way to learn its history and spot the notable carved faces, or during public open hours. As a government building, expect security screening on entry. Checking the current tour schedule and reserving a spot in advance is wise, especially for groups.

Weekdays, when the Capitol is open and guided tours run, are the time to go, so check the current tour schedule and plan around it. A Capitol tour typically takes about an hour and covers the staircase along with other grand spaces. Because it is indoors, it is a fine choice in any weather, making it an easy, free cultural stop while exploring downtown Albany.

The State Capitol sits at the edge of the Empire State Plaza, so a visit combines naturally with the free New York State Museum, the plaza's dramatic architecture and art, the free Corning Tower observation deck, and The Egg performing arts center. Together they make for a rich, largely free day of history, art, and architecture in the heart of New York's capital city.