How Does $1 Turn Into $13?: Leveraging League Grants to Push Preservation Forward

Left to right: Oneida Community Mansion House in Oneida; Trudeau Building in Saranac Lake; Glenwood Power Plant in Yonkers; the Roberson Museum & Science Center in Binghamton; and Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany are among 488 projects around the state to receive major capital grants through Round XI of New York State’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative. The League has played a role in each of these projects.

At the end of last year when Governor Kathy Hochul announced that an additional $196 million had been awarded to support 488 projects across the state, we were excited to see many familiar names included. These grants were awarded to groups that participated in Round XI of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative and will support community revitalization and business growth consistent with the REDC strategic plans.

Among those 488 projects, we noted 15 — which together received state grants totaling over $6.7 million — that had previously received direct support from the League through advocacy, grants, and/or loans. Those League-backed projects received $510,984 from us to fund things like feasibility studies and building condition reports that were then used to inform their REDC grants. These projects were able to leverage our funding, and all told received roughly $13 from NYS for every $1 from the League.

The 15 projects have received:

3 Seven to Save listings
2 EPIP loans totaling $240,000
8 Preserve New York grants totaling $82,600
10 Technical Assistance Grants totaling $33,284
2 NHEP Capital Grants totaling $127,000
2 Donald Stephen Gratz Preservation grants totaling $18,100
1 general grant of $10,000

For a total of $510,984 from the League. That’s $13.14 from NYS for every one of our dollars.

When we talk about what the League does, things like this can really help contextualize our work. Because so much of our statewide work is behind the scenes, providing advocacy, technical services, and grants often at the very beginning of preservation efforts, it can be hard to pin down just how far-reaching the League’s work can be.

It’s validating to see these projects move forward, and this grant cycle has provided a concrete example of how the work we do can have ramifications months and years into the future, enabling so many preservation projects to get off the ground successfully.

Here’s a look at a few of the projects we’ve been lucky to be involved with, detailing the direct link between the League’s support and their recent funding from the state:

Parrott Hall, Geneva

The League has been involved with the effort to save Parrott Hall for over three years, joining with our colleagues at the Landmark Society of Western NY, the City of Geneva, and the nonprofit Friends of Parrott Hall to advocate for this historic structure. The City of Geneva was awarded an Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grant totaling $500,000 to complete the next phase of stabilization and remediation at Parrott Hall. In addition to general advocacy, technical services, and including Parrott Hall on our 2020-2021 Seven to Save list, the League provided a grant from our Gratz Fund in 2020 to support the completion of a feasibility study; a general grant of $10,000 to fund stabilization work; and a loan of $40,000 through our Endangered Properties Intervention Program to help cover costs associated with Phase 1 repairs — namely the roof replacement that got underway at the end of 2021. All of this laid the groundwork to help make Phase 2 restorations possible, and the League is eager to continue working with our Coalition partners as Parrott Hall restorations move forward.

Potsdam Public Museum, Potsdam

This one is incredibly straightforward: In 2020, the League awarded a Technical Assistance Grant to to fund a Conditions Survey of the lancet windows at the Potsdam Public Museum. Armed with the results of that survey, the Village of Potsdam was able to make a plan and a budget to renovate those windows. Their EPF grant from NYS totaled $127,500 to fund the renovation of ten c. 1934 lancet-style windows, returning the windows to their original condition and installing exterior storm windows. Installation of new exterior storm windows will reduce air loss, interior condensation, and frosting during the winter months — good for the continued maintenance of their historic site, and a positive change for increased sustainability.

Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, Hudson

The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse is another 2020-2021 Seven to Save site. In 2020, the League awarded the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS) a Technical Assistance Grant to fund a Structural Analysis, followed by a Preserve New York Grant to fund a Building Condition Report in 2021. The $500,000 EPF grant HALPS received from NYS will help to restore and repair the iconic 1874 Hudson River lighthouse. The goals are to protect the building in anticipation of further restoration work, increase visitor safety and access, and restore the historic water system to enhance interpretive tours. The reports completed thanks to League grants helped lay the foundation for the actual repairs their EPF grant will cover.

Uptown Theater for Creative Arts, Utica

In 2019, the League presented an $8,600 grant from the Donald Stephen Gratz Preservation Services Fund to Uptown Theater for Creative Arts (UTCA). The grant funded a feasibility study of the Uptown Theatre building, which identified needed rehabilitation work, established a road map for UTCA’s future efforts, and created a resource for discussions with potential funders and others interested in the project’s progress. Later that year, the League also awarded UTCA a Technical Assistance Grant to fund a Code Analysis Review — something specifically called for in their earlier feasibility study. Now UTCA is ready to move forward on a robust rehabilitation project, which their $500,000 New York Main Street grant will support.

And here are the rest of the projects from this latest REDC grant round that the League has been lucky enough to support over the years:

Preservation Buffalo Niagara will restore the historic 1847 Eliza Quirk House in downtown Buffalo. The goal is to rehabilitate and preserve the historic characteristics of the building.

  • League support: 2020 Technical Assistance Grant to fund a Specialized Conservation Study focused on the building’s exterior brick

  • NYS EPF grant: $500,000

Oneida Community Mansion House will complete Phase 2 priorities of its Exterior Rehabilitation Project. This National Historic Landmark complex is a museum, lodging, cultural performance, and event venue that needs this restoration to preserve its cultural significance, historic status, and economic value to the Central New York Region.

Historic Saranac Lake will rehabilitate the Trudeau Building, expanding their museum campus to provide more space and opportunity to explore the rich history of the Saranac Lake region. The Trudeau Building is the former home and medical office of Dr. E. L. Trudeau, a pioneer in the treatment of tuberculosis.

The Seward House Museum will save two historic structures on its campus by converting them into usable space for the public. After performing intensive preservation work, the Museum's barn will serve as a multipurpose space for year-round use and the carriage house will become an accessible exhibit space for the Seward carriage.

  • League Support: 2015 Preserve New York Grant for a Cultural Landscape Report to include the barn and carriage house; 2017 Preserve New York Grant Building Condition Report of the barn and carriage house; 2020 Technical Assistance Grant for a Feasibility Reuse Study of the barn and carriage house

  • NYS EPF grant: $500,000

Historic Albany Foundation (HAF) will restore the Van Ostrande-Radliff House, located at 48 Hudson Avenue in the heart of Downtown Albany. Through this project HAF will restore the roof and exterior of the oldest building in Albany so it is clearly recognizable as a Dutch building from the street, with the interior being brought up to code and meeting ADA requirements.

Columbia County Historical Society continues restoration projects at the Luykas Van Alen House in Kinderhook. Their current project focuses on issues of moisture mitigation caused by the pond added in 1967 to decorate the front lawn. This project will drain the pond and return the front lawn to its original natural environment; address restoration of the front stoops; and finally stabilize the house's south gable end wall.

The former Glenwood Power Plant will be re-envisioned as a center for leadership, activism, and education on climate change. Redevelopment of the powerhouse will include advanced geothermal systems and other elements designed to make the building carbon neutral. The historic preservation of this long-abandoned powerhouse will also create exhibition space with a hotel, restaurants, and cultural programming space and will help educate the public on carbon neutral technology and performance.

Roberson Museum and Science Center will hire a preservation architect to create a plan to restore key architectural features of the Roberson Mansion, perimeter fence, and Carriage House. The goal is to set forth a plan for the restoration of both buildings to their original state and prevent further deterioration.

The Albany County Historical Association (ACHA) will complete Phase 1 Critical Stabilization and Community Accessibility work of Ten Broeck Mansion, operated by ACHA as an educational museum. This critical work will preserve the 18th-century Mansion and remediate water infiltration and deterioration, while creating an accessible and welcoming community greenspace in the heart of Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood.

The Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank will stabilize and restore the Chester "Bromley" Hoke House located along the Empire State Trail in Canajoharie. Once restored, the house will serve as a Rail Trail Rest Stop with a museum on the first floor, lodging on the second floor, and various traveling amenities.

Philmont Beautification, Inc. will use funds for feasibility analysis and re-use options for properties in the Village of Philmont's downtown.

The Preserve New York and Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) programs are a partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Preservation League of New York State. These grant programs are made possible by NYSCA with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Grants, Preservation in ActionKaty Peace