Preserve New York Grants - 2020
The Preserve New York grant program is a partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Preservation League, made possible with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
At its 2020 meeting, the Preserve New York grant panel selected 19 applicants in 15 counties to receive support totaling $193,390. Many of these grants will lead to historic district designation or expansion, allowing property owners to take advantage of the New York State and Federal Historic Tax Credits. With the announcement of the 2020 awards, support provided by Preserve New York since its launch in 1993 totals more than $3 million to 457 projects statewide.
Click here to read the press release.
Grants are listed below by county.
Albany County
Albany County Historical Association - $10,000
Ten Broeck Mansion Gardens & Landscape, Cultural Landscape Report
The Ten Broeck Mansion was built in 1797-98 for General Abraham Ten Broeck & his wife Elizabeth Van Rensselaer, with additions in 1850 & 1888. The Mansion & landscape is a rare survival of a formal 18th-century estate in the upper Hudson Valley, with landscape development dated back to 1764. This landscape report will provide professional study and guidance on how to best document, preserve and restore aspects of this richly historic landscape to continue to be an educational space to best serve our community. A $10,000 Preserve New York grant will allow the Albany County Historical Association to hire Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture LLC to complete the Cultural Landscape Report.
Historic Albany Foundation - $15,000
Van Ostrande-Radliff House, Historic Structure Report
The Van Ostrande-Radliff House was constructed in 1728 for alderman Johannes Van Ostrande. It is one of a handful of urban Dutch buildings remaining in the United States, and the only known one of timber frame construction. This report will incorporate recommendations for conservation/treatment as well as reuse by the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency utilizing experience from the Netherlands on how Europe conserves and reuses properties of similar size, style and age. A $15,000 Preserve New York grant will allow Historic Albany Foundation to hire John G. Waite Associates and Mount Ida Press to complete the Historic Structure Report.
Broome County
City of Binghamton Department of Planning, Housing & Community Development - $8,000
Main & Front Street Historic District, Cultural Resource Survey
Binghamton’s Main Street is located in one of the city’s most economically distressed neighborhoods. Building neglect and lack of maintenance are primary threats to the historic resources within this potential historic district. This cultural resource survey will include the preparation of National Register Nomination Form for National Register-Eligible Main Street Historic District, opening up the potential use of NYS and Federal Historic Tax Credits. An $8,000 Preserve New York grant will allow the City of Binghamton to hire Environmental Design and Research (EDR) to complete this nomination.
Cayuga County
Howland Stone Store Museum - $10,000
Isabel Howland House, Opendore, Historic Landscape Report
The original 1837 house, known as Opendore, was extensively remodeled in 1888 and 1910. The 1910 vernacular colonial revival renovation was the work of noted Syracuse architect Albert Brockway. Opendore was the home of William and Hannah Howland, and their daughter Isabel, all leaders in the fight for women's suffrage. The historic landscape design may have been the work of a pioneer female landscape architect such as Ellen Biddle Shipman or Beatrix Farrand, both of whom may have had connections with the Howland family. This report will document the historic landscape so that modern parking and drainage needs can be addressed. A $10,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Howland Stone Store Museum to hire Jean Gleisner to complete a Historic Landscape Report.
Delaware County
Franklin Stock Company at Chapel Hall d/b/a Franklin Stage Co. - $ 5,200
Chapel Hall, Building Condition Report
Chapel Hall is a magnificent 3-story Greek Revival edifice built in 1855/56 as part of the Delaware Literary Institute, which provided a classical education to young men and women from across the country until the early 1900's. From 1911-1996 the Masons owned the building, converting the 1st floor chapel into a theater and the 3rd floor into a stunning Masonic Temple. Chapel Hall is on the Nat'l Register of Historic Places as part of Franklin Village Historic District. This report will help inform Franklin Stock Company's planning for continued restoration, rehabilitation and upkeep of their historic home. A $5,200 Preserve New York grant will enable the Franklin Stock Company to hire Crawford and Sterns, Architects & Preservation Planners, PLLC to complete the report.
Town of Tompkins - $4,000
Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower, Building Condition Report
The Rock Rift Fire Tower is historically significant for its direct association with forest fire observation and prevention measures established by New York State beginning in the early years of the twentieth century. These measures were enacted to protect state owned forest lands from fire. The Rock Rift Fire Tower is of architectural significant as an intact example of pre-fabricated fire tower design manufactured by the International Derrick Co. This report will provide a professional evaluation before the Town can proceed to bring the tower up to safe modern standards, providing the public tower access for a greater understanding of environmental protection past and present. A $4,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the town to hire James O. Forbes, P.E. to complete the Building Condition Report.
Dutchess County
Scenic Hudson, Inc. - $15,000
Historic Steel Truss Bridges, Cultural Resource Survey
The 12 historic steel truss bridges were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s to provide access to the Hudson River over the Hudson River line railroad tracks. Many of these bridges are closed due to a lack of maintenance, with a lack of clarity as to the party responsible for their maintenance. Some bridges have also been identified for removal or are in immediate need of repair before they suffer structural failures. This survey will ensure that these wonderful icons are saved for future generations and additional access to the Hudson River is restored, as well as provide a context for their structural and historic significance. A $15,000 Preserve New York grant will enable Scenic Hudson to hire Peter Melewski, LLC to complete the cultural resources survey.
Kings County
Prospect Lefferts Gardens Heritage Council, Inc. – $8,800
Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood, Cultural Resource Survey
Prospect Lefferts Gardens constitute a remarkably coherent sample of residential design dating from the 1890s to the 1920s. Two- and three-story rowhouses predominate throughout most of the neighborhood and form an extensive series of unified block fronts. Although more than twenty architects were active in the area, it is the work of Brooklyn architects, Benjamin Driesler, and Axel Hedman, that gives the area its coherence. This survey will provide a detailed summary of cultural history, a narrative description of significance, and development history. A $8,800 Preserve New York grant will enable the Prospect Lefferts Gardens Heritage Council, Inc. to hire AKRF, Inc. to complete the cultural resources survey.
Livingston County
Village of Avon - $13,440.00
Village of Avon, Cultural Resource Survey
Avon is a rural village in Livingston County, located along the historic railroad networks and Routes 5 & 20. Arranged around an ovular public green, the Village center consists of a mix of 19th and 20th century historical residential, commercial and public buildings. Although Avon once had a thriving hotel and spa industry, the only built remnants of that history are the Avon Inn, 1836 standardbred horsetrack, and sulfur springs. This survey builds upon a 2018 Preserve New York cultural resource survey grant and will advance a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the proposed historic district, giving homeowners and commercial property owners access to tax credits as well as enhancing marketing and their local economy. A $13,440 Preserve New York grant will enable the Village of Avon to hire the Landmark Society of Western New York to complete the cultural resource survey.
Village of Nunda - $10,000
Town and Village of Nunda, Cultural Resource Survey
The Town of Nunda was founded in 1808, while the Village of Nunda, planned by Charles H. Carroll in 1824, was incorporated in 1839. The village square is bordered by commercial blocks from 1831-1834. The historic Genesee Valley Canal passed just west of the square, with a remaining historic lock (#42) remaining. Wide, tree-lined streets, a variety of architectural styles and a welcoming community await visitors to Nunda, located in the Finger Lakes Region just east of Letchworth State Park. This survey will establish preliminary boundaries for areas that may be eligible for National Register of Historic Places designation as historic districts, as well as potential individual resources, and help inform the municipality’s comprehensive plan. A $10,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Town and Village to hire the Landmark Society of Western New York to complete the cultural resources survey.
Monroe County
Greece Historical Society - $15,000
Architecture of Thomas W. Boyde, Jr., Cultural Resource Survey
Thomas W. Boyde, Jr. is Rochester’s first and foremost African American architect. He was a master of Mid-Century Modern home design and did significant work designing buildings for communities of color and the low-income communities. Many of Boyde’s projects no longer exist or have been severely altered. This survey will help to identify his buildings, calling attention to them and hopefully preventing further demolition. A $15,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Greece Historical Society to hire Bero Architecture PLLC and preservation consultant Gina M. DiBella to complete this cultural resources survey.
South East Area Coalition - $10,000
Gregory Tract Historic District, Cultural Resource Survey
The Gregory Tract, located in Rochester's Highland Park Neighborhood, is significant for its association with the growth of the city of Rochester in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. Buildings and streetscapes in the tract are typical of mid- to late-nineteenth century streetcar suburbs and feature a range of late 19th and early 20th century homes as well as several commercial structures. This survey will lead to a National Register Historic District designation and allow homeowners and commercial building owners to take advantage of the NYS Historic Tax Credit programs. A $10,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the South East Area Coalition to hire Bero Architecture PLLC to complete the cultural resource survey.
Ontario County
Village of Naples - $18,150
Village of Naples & Environs, Cultural Resource Survey
The Village of Naples was initially settled in the early 1790s, with few original buildings surviving. In the early 1800s development moved to current Naples Creek location allowing water powered mill industry, while the mid-1800s saw Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire-style houses, Greek & Gothic Revival churches, and Italianate-style business structures. This survey will build upon a 2018 Preserve New York-funded reconnaissance-level survey and will lead to three National Register Historic District nominations. An $18,150 Preserve New York grant will enable the Village of Naples to hire the Landmark Society of Western New York to complete the nominations.
Queens County
Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation - $10,000
Ridgewood Extension Neighborhood, Cultural Resource Survey
This community is significant for its collection of early twentieth century commercial and institutional buildings constructed during a period of rapid growth in Ridgewood, which serves as the neighborhood's "Main Street" corridor. The area is noted for its social and ethnic history with the German immigrant population that settled in Ridgewood in the early twentieth century. This project will lead to a National Register nomination for the proposed Myrtle Ave.-Fresh Pond Road Historic District in Ridgewood, Queens. This project built upon a 2018 Preserve New York-funded survey. This $10,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation to hire Christopher Brazee to complete the National Register nomination.
Rensselaer County
Troy Public Library - $15,000
Hart Memorial Building, Historic Structure Report
The Hart Memorial Building was completed in 1897 to serve as a library and art gallery. Conceived as the integration of art into architecture, the building was designed by the NYC firm of J. Stewart Barney and Henry Otis Chapman Architects. The American Renaissance style building echoes an Italian Palazzo and is renowned for its Tiffany windows and glass floor stacks. This report will determine how to best preserve this historic building while adapting it to meet the current and future needs of an urban library. A $15,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Troy Public Library to hire a preservation architecture firm to complete the report.
Richmond County
Staten Island Historical Society d/b/a Historic Richmond Town - $3,200
Historic Richmond Town, Cultural Resource Survey
Historic Richmond Town is a museum village in Staten Island that preserves three centuries of Staten Island history, including early New World Dutch vernacular buildings, nineteenth century commercial buildings and more. The resources embody the district's two principal identities as a historic community and a museum village. Determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in a 2019 survey, this project will lead to a National Register Historic District nomination for Historic Richmond Town. A $3,200 Preserve New York grant will enable the Staten Island Historical Society/Historic Richmond Town to hire AKRF, Inc. to complete the nomination.
Sullivan County
Sullivan County Land Bank Corporation - $5,000
Yeager Mansion/Spanish Mansion, Building Condition Report
Benjamin Yeager purchased the lot on the corner of Chestnut and Lincoln in Liberty in 1931. Yeager commissioned Abraham H. Okun to design the Spanish Eclectic mansion. Construction of the mansion was completed in 1936 for $30,000. The result was an 18-room, two-story, masonry construction building and a full basement. Okun was a significant local architect who built several commercial structures listed on the National Register in Sullivan County. This report will help the land bank understand the conditions facing the structure and lay out the plan for comprehensive rehabilitation. A $5,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Sullivan County Land Bank to hire Chianis + Anderson to complete the building condition report.
Ulster County
Town of Marlborough - $10,000
Town of Marlborough Hamlets, Cultural Resource Survey
Marlborough was first farmed in the mid-1700s and its historically important fruit-growing business persists today. The Marlboro and Milton commercial hamlets grew around water-powered mills at falls near the Hudson River, where river landings for shipping agricultural goods grew. Marlborough's historic commercial and industrial heritage is reflected by hamlet streetscapes including surviving stores, hotels, civic and institutional buildings, mill ruins, etc. The goal of this survey is for Marlborough property owners and agritourism visitors to enjoy benefits of improved protection, National Register listing, Historic Tax Credit-guided restoration, and greater awareness and stewardship for historical properties. A $10,000 Preserve New York grant will enable the Town of Marlborough to hire Larson Fisher Associates to complete the cultural resources survey.
Washington County
Village of Greenwich - $7,600
Village Hall, Building Condition Report
The Greenwich Village Hall is the lone civic building within the Greenwich National Register Historic District, established in 1995. The Village Hall was built in 1848 to house the Union Village Academy, with the rear addition built in the 1870s. This large two-story brick building is significant for its Greek Revival architecture. 1952 renovations destabilized the back half of the building. The community wishes to see it fully restored for a community center and this building condition report is the first step. A $7,600 Preserve New York grant will enable the Village of Greenwich to hire John G. Waite Associates to complete the condition report.