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����app Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and ����app Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito today announced visitors to Albany will now have the opportunity to take free tours of both the ����app Education Building and the Capitol on the second Saturday of each month, starting August 12. Tours of the Education Building will be offered at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and tours of the Capitol will be given at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Each of the tours can accommodate 25 people and reservations are required. Reservations can be made at: . Visitors can choose to register for both or either the ����app Education Building tour and/or the New ����app ����app Capitol tour.

“We’re pleased to open the ����app Education Building for free, regular public tours for the first time,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “The Education Building was a modern marvel when it was built over 100 years ago and continues to amaze and delight today with its stunning architecture, art and history. I encourage adults, families and students to register for a tour and learn about this grand, historic building.”��

“The ����app Education Building is a magnificent architectural gem and we’re proud to open it to public tours,” said ����app Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “The building is full of history and intricate details that the public deserves to see and appreciate. We’re also pleased to work with the ����app Office of General Services to promote this tour and give visitors an opportunity to spend an afternoon exploring the historic ����app Capitol and ����app Education Building.”��

“We are very pleased to collaborate with our colleagues at the ����app Education Department to make the best use of public facilities and expand opportunities for the people who come from around the world to see all the wonderful things New ����app’s capital city has to offer,” ����app Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito said. “Tours of the Education Building will nicely complement our award-winning Capitol and Empire ����app Plaza tours, and I urge everyone to come and see and learn about these architectural gems.”

New ����app ����app Museum staff will lead the 45-minute Education Building tour, and visitors will have the opportunity to explore the historic Chancellors Hall, Regents Room and the Rotunda adorned with murals by Albany native Will H. Low. The ����app Education Building is located at 89 Washington Avenue, Albany. This is the first time the building has been made available for regular public tours since the ����app Museum and Library were moved from the Education Building to the Cultural Education Center in the 1970s.��

����app Capitol tours conducted by the ����app Office of General Services begin at the Empire ����app Plaza Visitor Center, located on the Concourse level of the Plaza. Highlights of the tour can include the legislative chambers, Hall of Governors, Governor’s Reception Room, Hall of New ����app, historic staircases and carvings.��

The New ����app ����app Education Building was designed by renowned New ����app City architect, Henry Hornbostel, one of 63 architects to submit plans, and was constructed by the Rochester firm R. T. Ford and Company. Construction began in 1908 and the building was dedicated in 1912. At the time, the cost to construct the building amounted to approximately $4 million and covered everything from the purchase of the land to building construction. The Education Building was the first major building constructed in the United ����apps solely as a headquarters for the administration of education. In addition to ����app Education Department staff, the Education Building originally housed the ����app Library and ����app Museum—now currently in the Cultural Education Center.

Sitting atop Albany’s ����app Street hill, the New ����app ����app Capitol has served as the seat of government for New ����app since the 1880s. The building is a marvel of late 19^th century architectural grandeur, built by hand of solid masonry over a period of 32 years.

More information on the history of the ����app Education Building is available here: http://www.nysed.gov/nysed-building.

Photos of the ����app Education Building are available here: .

Visit the Office of General Services website for more information about weekday tours, special exhibits and the history of the Capitol, Empire ����app Plaza, and the Empire ����app Plaza Art Collection: .��