Vincentian Institute

Vincentian Institute, the parochial school operated by St. Vincent de Paul parish, opened in this building in 1917. It added a grade per year until the school offered K-12 education, with the first high school class graduating in 1925. The school grew with the neighborhood, expanding this building and adding other properties (including the “glass school,” another Pine Hills tour stop). As at the glass school, V.I. Founder Father William Charles was a believer in sun exposure, so gym class here (including basketball!) was once held on the roof.

By the end of the 1960s, enrollment at Vincentian Institute was in sharp decline: Families were smaller, and the suburbs were calling. The high school was the first to succumb to the changes: It closed in 1977, merging with Cardinal McCloskey High School to become Bishop Maginn. The grade school closed after the 1984-1985 school year.

The building now houses senior apartments and the Albany Police Athletic League youth center.