Albany loves its giant dog statue.
Nipper, a 28-foot-tall white dog with black ears that has sat prominently atop a warehouse for nearly seven decades – recreates the famous image of a terrier listening intently to a phonograph long used by the electronics and communications company RCA.
Over time, this statue has grown to become a source of pride for the area around this city on the Hudson River. Parents pointed their children on the highway. Nipper’s image, with his head tied to one side, appears on items such as key chains, ball caps and hoodies.
“When I think of Nipper, I think of Albany. When I think of Albany, I think of Nipper,” said Cody Hitt, who was out with friends recently at a bar near the statue.
Now that pride has been tempered by concern for Nipper’s future.
After years of litigation, the disused four-story warehouse where Nipper lives was recently marked with a red plaque with a white coating — a warning to firefighters and other first responders to be careful when entering.
“It’s definitely not a good thing for Nipper. He’s attached to that building, so if something happens to it, it’s going to be hard to get him out,” said Cara Macri, director of preservation services for the Historic Albany Foundation.
History of the Nipper
The flesh-and-blood nipper lived in late 19th century England and got its name after it tried to bite people’s ankles.
His owner’s brother, Francis Barraud, killed the dog after his death in the painting “His Master’s Voice,” which shows Nipper fascinated by the recorded sound coming from a phonograph.
The Gramophone Company in London bought a version of the picture in 1899 and it was soon registered for use in the United States. The trademark “The Voice of His Majesty” was acquired in 1929 by the company that became RCA.
Albany’s Nipper, with a composite body on a steel frame, was craned onto the building in the late 1950s to advertise the RCA equipment distributor’s position.
There were many portraits of Nipper made during his youth, including a 14-foot-tall portrait of Nipper now at the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore from 1958 paired with a larger-than-life gramophone.
But Albany’s is big.
It stands out from the otherwise notable skyline of the state’s modern state government building adjacent to the state Capitol, with its 44-story office tower and large egg-shaped theater.
The popular dog appears on socks, caps, stickers and shot glasses sold downtown at the Fort Orange General Store, where store owner Erica Cubello said the items are a hit.
“He’s like our unofficial mascot here at Fort Orange, and the city of Albany,” said Cubello, who was wearing a Nipper hoodie.
Photo of a dog in Albany
Nipper still looks young after all these years. But this building under him has been unused for ten years, the paint has been removed from the outside.
Nothing ever happened to plans announced a decade ago to develop apartments and retail space in the newly purchased building. The foreclosure case has been ongoing for years and city tax records show an attorney serving as receiver.
Lawyers involved in the case did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In 2024, the Historic Albany Foundation placed the building on its list of endangered sites. In March, the city placed a red and white warning sign on the building’s entrance. Times-Union columnist Chris Churchill soon after raised the alarm in a piece headlined: “Nipper has our love, but needs more protection.”
Albany Mayor Dorsey Applyrs office said it is working to add Nipper to the city’s historic sites list, which would help protect the dog and the building from damaging changes.
Separately, the state board last month designated the warehouse district to put the Nipper building on the state and national historic registers.
That would make the building eligible for federal and state historic preservation tax credits.
There is no serious talk of moving Nipper from his forever home, which can be challenging and expensive.
Besides, where will this nearly four-ton statue go?
“There is a rebuilding of the city. You can put him there. You can put him by the river,” said Macri. “But he’s a big dog.”
