Here on Washington Avenue sits a museum devoted to the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley. It sits on Washington Avenue (New York State Route 5) in downtown Albany. Founded in 1791, the Institute is among the oldest museums in the United States.
Its present shape is the result of several institutions merging over time. The earliest were learned societies devoted to the natural sciences; for a time the Institute served as the state legislature's informal advisory body on agriculture. Robert R. Livingston was the first president, and Joseph Henry delivered his first paper on electromagnetism to the Institute.
Collections of animal, vegetable and mineral specimens from state surveys eventually became the foundations of the New York State Museum. Later in the century it became more focused on the humanities and eventually merged with the Albany Historical and Art Society. It has borne the name Albany Institute of History & Art since 1926, and over the course of the 20th century it became more firmly established as a regional art museum.
Washington Avenue, New York State Route 5, runs past the Institute's door and on through the downtown blocks.