Nelson Rockefeller has a marble-clad modernist plaza, Hugh Carey has a tunnel, and Mario Cuomo has a bridge.
Now, former Gov. George Pataki has a namesake structure: a two-story brick building in Albany, a few blocks from the State Capitol, where he reigned from 1995 to 2006.
The Republican dedicated the modest George Pataki Center last week, saying he hoped the library and event space in the more than century-old building will help push the brand of moderate, work-across-the-aisle politics that he practiced.
“It's not about a Republican beating a Democrat or a Democrat beating a Republican,” said Pataki, 81. “It's about you being able to make people's lives better.”
But the world is going in a different direction. More moderate institutional candidates in both parties are losing to challengers on their left and right flanks. This week, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed beat U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan.
Closer to home, Zohran Mamdani became New York City’s mayor by defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom Pataki defeated in 2002. Pataki beat Cuomo’s dad in a 1994 upset victory. And Donald Trump bested numerous more-experienced rivals in 2016 — including … Pataki. Trump similarly cleared the field in 2024.
Pataki acknowledged this with some sadness.
“One of the most disappointing things since I left office, and certainly since September 11, is the sense of unity we had has fallen apart,” said the governor, who wrote a book on the same theme. “ I'm not in a position of leadership to direct people, but I would just urge them to try to put aside that partisanship and work across party lines and just come up with things that help America, not that help your party or help your political campaign.”
Pataki may be best known for his role supervising the response with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks as well as the early stages of rebuilding the World Trade Center site. The walls along a staircase in the George Pataki Center include photos of Pataki at Ground Zero, as well as pictures of the former towers and some of the nearly 3,000 people who died there.
The building will be rented out for private events and open to the public on select days, said Dave Catalfamo, a longtime Pataki spokesperson. It also houses the offices of the governor’s foundation, which is focused on aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia and instructing students interested in government service.
Pataki’s aides started the foundation after he left office. The center is a reboot of a rented site in Peekskill that functioned more like a museum and often hosted school groups. (“We took a hard look and we figured Peekskill was too expensive,” the governor said. “We could afford this!”)
Catalfamo said it was a fitting monument to a pragmatic man.
“We actually just envisioned an opportunity to basically stop paying storage fees for the rooms and rooms and rooms of archive material that we had for the governor,” he said. “It's a functional building … The significance of this center isn't about its architecture. It's about the conversations, the history that's preserved, and the forging of leaders for tomorrow.”
The ceremony transformed an alley-like street on a perfect August day. A tuxedoed lounge singer crooned before and after the official program. Todd Shapiro, the Eric Adams spokesperson and Albany restaurant owner, watched from the sidewalk.
The crowd included men in Madras jackets who had served in Pataki’s administration and were still doing work in or adjacent to the government.
Well-tanned former Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings recalled crossing party lines to endorse Pataki and then partnering with him on development projects.
“He really cared about this capital city,” Jennings said.
A top aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul offered kind remarks, and local legislators from both parties smiled and clapped. To the extent there are Pataki acolytes, they were present and praiseful.
“I'm truly honored to be in the presence [of someone] who I believe, next to Teddy Roosevelt, is the greatest governor we have ever had in New York state,” said Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello, a Republican who ran the state’s Canal Corporation under Pataki.
She mentioned his record as an environmentalist. Other speakers noted he brought back the death penalty (which was later struck down by courts) and created the state’s first charter schools.
Pataki said he is still working at a law firm and doing business consulting work. He has a farm in Essex County where he enjoys spending time. He plans to attend the 25th anniversary memorial of the Sept. 11 attacks next month.
But he demurred when asked about his legacy, and deflected other questions that might have stirred controversy.
“I almost answered your question. I forgot that I had years of training to avoid answering questions like that,” he said. “But I'm out of practice, so forgive me.”
