ALBANY County

Delaware Area Neighborhood Association, Albany

A grant of $5,044 will support the cost of a reconnaissance-level survey of the Summit Avenue neighborhood in the Delaware Avenue area of Albany. This community grew in the first quarter of the twentieth century as a working-class streetcar neighborhood. The typical one-over-one free-standing frame duplex houses repeated in rows throughout the neighborhood often retain original elements such as stained glass windows, paneled oak front doors, and slate roofs. A successful National Register nomination will position property owners to take advantage of New York State’s Historic Homeownership Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program.

CATTARAUGUS County

Randolph Area Community Development Corporation (RACDC), Randolph

A grant of $8,500 will support the cost of completing a State and National Register of Historic Places nomination of the Village of Randolph Historic District. The proposed historic district reflects the community’s development between c.1830 and 1930 and will include approximately 200 residential, commercial and public buildings. As a result, many Randolph property owners will be able to apply for rehabilitation tax credits for work they do on their historic homes and businesses. Johnson-Schmidt and Associates Architects of Corning will complete the project.

CHAUTAUQUA County

Fenton History Center, Jamestown

A grant of $7,500 will support the cost of a historic landscape report for the grounds of the Fenton Mansion in Jamestown. The State and National Register listed property was the home of Reuben E. Fenton who was elected to both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, in addition to serving as Governor from 1865-1869. The City of Jamestown purchased the property (originally known as Walnut Grove) in 1919 for a park. The report, to be prepared by Dean Gowen of Snyder, New York, will guide appropriate treatment of the two-acre park’s grounds which include curvilinear drives, a ravine, mature trees and evidence of extensive gardens.

CHEMUNG County

Near Westside Neighborhood Association, Elmira

A grant of $7,600 toward the completion of a State and National Register of Historic Places nomination of the West Clinton Street neighborhood, a primarily residential area that reflects 19^th to early 20^th century construction. Special features of the area are handsome brick row houses and several high-style architect-designed homes. The nomination will be prepared by consultant Nancy Goblet and will position approximately 90 properties for the benefits of state and federal tax credit programs.

ERIE County

Hamlin Park Community and Taxpayers Association, Buffalo

A grant of $4,000 will support the cost of completing a State and National Register of Historic Places nomination for a Hamlin Park Historic District on Buffalo’s East Side. As a result of this project, some 400 one-and two-family homes built between c.1912-1920 will become eligible for the state’s Rehabilitation Tax Credit for Homeowners. The nomination will be prepared by a team of municipal, professional and not-for profit stakeholders including neighborhood volunteers who have been trained in survey techniques by the consultant firm.

Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN), Buffalo

A grant of $7,500 will support the cost of completing a State and National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Richmond Ashland Historic District on Buffalo’s West Side. With 1,600 properties, the area promises to be the largest historic district in Western New York when it is listed. The area was developed between c.1890 and1930, and includes distinctive residential examples of Queen Anne, Shingle Style and Colonial Revival design. Preservation Buffalo Niagara is collaborating with many groups and individuals including a neighborhood-based community council, municipal officials, a religious institution and a local foundation. As a result, many Buffalo homeowners will be able to apply for state tax credits.

ESSEX County

Town of Crown Point

A grant of $3,000 will support the cost of preparation of a National Register Historic District nomination for the core of Crown Point. While this area is comprised of a census tract eligible for the New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credits, structures must be individually listed or a contributing building in a historic district listed on the state or National Register of Historic Places to take advantage of the incentive. This project focuses on the buildings surrounding the town green at the center of Crown Point, representing the period when the community was a prosperous center of agriculture and iron manufacturing. Three main houses and the church, all surrounding the green, directly relate to some of the most important early families in the Crown Point community.

KINGS County

Friends and Residents of Greater Gowanus

A grant of $7,500 will support the cost of a survey of the industrial landscape surrounding the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. This neighborhood, listed as a Six to Celebrate by the Historic Districts Council, has many landmarks and architecturally significant structures, including the Carroll Street Bridge, the oldest retractile bridge in the country. Buildings within the Greater Gowanus neighborhood include industrial structures and worker housing, and the area has retained much of its 19^th century industrial architecture and cultural heritage.

MONROE County

South Wedge Planning Committee, Rochester

A grant of $3,800 will support the cost of completing a cultural resources survey and State and National Register of Historic Places nomination for one or more historic districts in Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood.  The area reflects the city’s development associated with the expansion of several nurseries and a growing German population between the 1880s and 1920s. The project will be completed by Bero Architects of Rochester and the results will position between 245-400 properties for state and federal tax credit benefits, including New York State’s Historic Homeownership Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program.

Montgomery County

City of Amsterdam

A grant of $7,500 will support the cost of a Historic Structure Report for Amsterdam City Hall. This historic mansion was built in 1869 in the Second Empire style as a residence. In 1913, John Sanford, one of Amsterdam’s leading industrialists, purchased the home and completed a major renovation to the building, working with the architect Robert Fuller. The Sanfords then donated their home to the City of Amsterdam in 1932 for use as the Amsterdam City Hall. The building, while remarkably intact down to its bathrooms and door hardware, suffers from deterioration due to lack of proper maintenance. This Historic Structure Report would guide future efforts to secure support for the building’s preservation, and provide an outline for public education about the Sanford Mansion’s its role in Amsterdam’s cultural heritage. 

Village of Fort Plain

A $3,000 grant will support the cost of a National Register Historic District nomination for the Village of Fort Plain. The village’s architecture reflects all periods of its development, from the construction of the Erie Canal through the late 19^th century railroad and beyond. Historic fabric includes worker housing, mill owner dwellings, several large churches, and canal-related buildings. Building on a Preserve New York-funded reconnaissance-level survey completed in 2010, and maintaining the same consultant, Jessie Ravage, the Village Board and Mayor have recognized the potential for economic development and view the nomination as a way to foster community pride in its cultural and architectural heritage. The village is entirely eligible for New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

SULLIVAN County

Roscoe Rockland Chamber of Commerce

A $6,000 grant will support the cost of a Roscoe to Beaverkill reconnaissance-level survey. This inventory along the river corridor will serve to catalog cultural resources and provide an overview of the survey area, as well as assess the historic and architectural significance of the sites in the region. This area, known as the birthplace of American fly-fishing, was developed in the mid-19^th century with the growth of the railroad. The proposed survey area includes the Roscoe downtown, small residential mill communities along the Beaverkill, recreational resources further north on the Beaverkill, and historic farmsteads along the Roscoe to Beaverkill campground and covered bridge loops. The work will be completed by the firm of Larson Fisher Associates of Woodstock.

Tompkins County

City of Ithaca

A grant of $5,000 will support the cost of an intensive-level survey of the Henry St. John neighborhood, leading to a local historic district nomination, along with an application for National Park Service certification, in order to qualify property owners for the New York State and Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits. The Henry St. John neighborhood has a broad range of architectural styles from 1830-1930, illustrating Ithaca’s development from village into city. The buildings range from modest vernacular to high-style, including Second Empire, Collegiate Gothic, Greek Revival and Italianate.

WAYNE County

Cracker Box Palace, Alton

A grant of $9,000 will support the cost of completing several historic structure reports at Alasa Farms, a 627-acre property that includes 17 major buildings and structures and is listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Among the most significant resources are the Main and Deacon’s houses which are rare surviving examples of Shaker architecture built c.1833-1834, and the farm’s many barns, some of which are used by the not-for-profit owner for its farm animal shelter. Due to development pressures, 2009 fire damage and other threats, Alasa Farms was included in the Preservation League’s Seven to Save listing in 2010.  Crawford and Stearns, Architects and Preservation Planners of Syracuse, will prepare historic structure reports for the Shaker Main House and two to three barns using additional funds from the state’s Environment Protection Fund.

WYOMING County

Warsaw Historical Society

A grant of $5,500 will support the cost of preparing a State and National Register of Historic Places nomination for downtown Warsaw. The proposed district of up to 30 properties will include two c.1865 churches and rows of brick commercial buildings constructed between c.1880 and 1930. The project, to be completed by Bero Architecture of Rochester, advances the village’s Main Street revitalization program and is the first Preserve New York grant awarded in Wyoming County.