[1] The Albert began with three row houses at 32-36 East 11th Street, off of University Place, which were turned into the St. Stephen Hotel in 1876–1877 to designs by James Irving Howard.

The owner, Albert S. Rosenbaum, then commissioned architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh to build 24 "French flats" (luxury apartments) between the hotel and University Place.

In 1903–1904, a 12-story building was added to the south at 67 University Place, designed by Buchman & Fox, and in 1922–1924 a six-story building on the corner at 23 East 10th Street, designed by William L. Bottomley and Sugarman, Hess & Berger, while the St. Stephen was given an entirely new facade in the 1920s, and let go for commercial lease.

In 1977 the entire complex, including the St. Stephen, was converted to rental apartments as The Albert.

[2] In 2009, the co-op board of The Albert commissioned historian Anthony W. Robins to research the history of the buildings.