Outside the lines: Nott Memorial featured in new coloring book

Publication Date

Union’s iconic Nott Memorial is among the landmarks featured in a new adult coloring book, “Our Colorful Capital Region.”

Published by the Times Union, the $12 paperback includes 28 drawings by editorial artist Jeff Boyer based on the work of the newspaper’s photographers.

Among the drawings are the General Electric sign in Schenectady, the tulips in Albany’s Washington Park, the Victorian Stroll in Troy and “Spit,” the fountain statue at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs.

The newspaper hopes to capitalize on the surging popularity of adult coloring books. In the book’s foreword, Times Union Editor Rex Smith explained that hundreds of shots were considered, with the 28 selected because they met two criteria: they show something that was recognizably part of the community and would be fun to color.

The coloring book is available at the newspaper’s front desk Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 645 Albany Shaker Road, Colonie, or at the paper’s online store.

The centerpiece of campus, the 16-sided Nott is one of America’s most distinctive examples of High Victorian Gothic architecture. Dating to 1875, it is used for lectures, conferences, readings, special events, and exhibits in the Mandeville Gallery and Wikoff Student Gallery, with a popular study area on the third floor.

In the 19th century, Eliphalet Nott was Union’s president for 62 years, the longest tenure of any American college president.

The Nott was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and to the list of National Historic Landmarks in 1986.

It has been featured in numerous books and publications, including a calendar in 2012 highlighting National Historic Landmarks.