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Preserve New York 2005 Grant Recipients
A Grant
Program of the Preservation League of New York State and the New York
State Council on the Arts
At its August meeting, the Preserve New
York Grant Program panel selected 16 projects in 12 counties for
support
totaling $76,600. Preserve New
York
is a partnership grant program of the Preservation League of New York
State and
the Architecture, Planning and Design Program of the New York State
Council on
the Arts. To date, the program has provided over $1,000,000 to 176
not-for-profit groups and municipalities in support of their important
local
initiatives. The organizations and
municipalities receiving grant awards in 2005 are:
BROOME COUNTY
West Side
Neighborhood Association, Binghamton
Grant of
$6,500 toward the cost of preparing a nomination to the State and
National
Registers of Historic Places for a proposed historic district in Binghamton’s West Side neighborhood. The
district will
include over 700 properties exemplifying a rich mix of late 19th
and
early 20th century architectural styles executed by some of the city’s leading architects.
Much of the area is part of the historic Abel Bennet Location, a farm
estate of
the city’s first mayor. The nomination will be completed by consultant
Mary
Joan Kevlin of Norwich, Connecticut, who spent several
semesters in Binghamton while teaching a survey
course at Cornell University’s preservation program.
ERIE COUNTY
Roycroft Campus
Corporation, East Aurora
Grant of
$5,000 toward the cost of preparing a historic structure report for the
Copper
Shop of the Roycroft Campus, a National Historic Landmark. The 14
remaining
buildings and structures of the campus are the physical embodiment of
the
artistic community founded in 1895 by author and entrepreneur Elbert
Hubbard.
Inspired by the English Arts and Crafts movement, Roycroft remains the
best
preserved and most complete complex of buildings in the United States exemplifying the
“guilds” that
evolved as centers of craftsmanship and philosophy. The Copper Shop was
built
in 1902 as a blacksmith shop by the Roycrofters themselves according to
Hubbard’s
instructions. The building was enlarged in 1910 and again in 1918 when
it
became the copper goods production facility of the arts community. The
report
will be prepared by Hamilton Houston Lownie Architects of Buffalo and
will
guide critically needed structural repairs and a restoration program
for the
vacant building so that it can serve as a visitors center, artisan
workshop and
the organization’s offices.
HERKIMER COUNTY
Friends of Historic Herkimer County, Herkimer
Grant of
$7,000 toward the cost of preparing a historic structure report for the
1834
Herkimer County Jail, a National Register listed building which was
included in
the Preservation League’s 2005 Seven to Save endangered properties list. An excellent example of Federal style civic
architecture and constructed of local limestone, the building may be
best known
as the jail that in 1906 held Chester Gillette, who has been accused of
a
sensational murder. Gillette’s story became the basis for Theodore
Dreiser’s
novel An American Tragedy. The jail
closed in 1977 and has received minimal care since 2000. The report, to
be
completed by Crawford and Stearns, Preservation Planners and Architects
of
Syracuse, will provide a much needed rehabilitation plan to allow the
building
to reopen for museum and office functions.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Sackets Harbor Area
Cultural Preservation Foundation,
Sackets Harbor
Grant of
$4,000 toward the cost of completing a historic structure report for
the 1839 Stone Hospital at Madison Barracks, an
Army post
begun in 1817 but whose origins relate to the War of 1812. The handsome
limestone building was one of the first permanent US Army hospitals in
the
nation. Abandoned after WWII, the former hospital has suffered
significant
deterioration, due in part to its location of the Lake Ontario shore. The report will
guide its
proposed reuse as a military heritage center with office and community
meeting
spaces. Holmes King Kallquist and Associates of Syracuse, who have
already
completed structural stabilization plans for the hospital, will prepare
the
report.
KINGS COUNTY
Society for Clinton
Hill, Brooklyn
Historic
Fort Greene
Association, Brooklyn
The grants
of $3,000 to the Society of Clinton Hill and $4,000 to the Historic
Fort Greene
Association will go toward funding survey work in both neighborhoods to
be
conducted by architectural historian Andrew Dolkart of New York City. The two neighborhood
organizations are working together on initiatives that will provide
increased
review and protection of historic resources which are threatened by
development
pressures in Brooklyn. The
survey will update documentation done in the 1980s and
support
efforts to expand New York City-designated historic districts so that
the
boundaries align with the areas designated as State and National
Register
historic districts. Residential and
commercial property owners have seen the positive impact that local
historic
district designation has had on the stability and improvement of the
area over
the last twenty years, and are interested in extending increased
protection to
additional blocks.
Green-Wood
Historic Fund, Green Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Grant of
$3,000 will support the preparation of a nomination for National
Historic
Landmark designation for the cemetery which was established in 1838 as
the
third rural cemetery in the US. The 478-acre cemetery is the
burial site of an extraordinary number of historical figures and
contains many
monuments designed by well-known sculptors and architects.
Over the past few years the organization has
worked to increase public access by scheduling longer visiting hours
and offering
a variety of programs including classes for schools which focus on
natural
history, science, art and local and national history.
Staff is also working to establish portions
of the cemetery as Audubon sanctuary areas by taking various measures
to
attract waterfowl. A number of monuments
and structures have also been restored. Green-Wood Cemetery is
listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Designation as a National Historic
Landmark will
help attract other resources for the preservation of the cemetery. The consultant for the project is Marian
Pressley, of Pressley Associates, Inc., located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
NASSAU COUNTY
Nassau County Department
of Parks,
Recreation and Museums, Syosset
Grant of
$7,500 toward the cost of preparing a cultural landscape report for the
15
designed acres of the former estate, “Muttontown Meadows” in the Village of Muttontown. The main house, Nassau
Hall, was built
in 1904 and is believed to be the first country house commission of the
architectural firm Delano and Aldrich. The
grounds are
attributed to the firm and were created between 1904 and 1914. Elmore
Design
Collaborative of Springfield, Massachusetts, will complete the report,
which
will guide the restoration of formal gardens and ornamental features of
this
actively used county park.
NEW YORK COUNTY
Harlem
Preservation Foundation, Harlem
Grant of $4,000
will support reconnaissance-level survey work that will update work
carried out
in 1985 to identify and prioritize historic resources that should be
designated
as local landmarks. The consultant is
Eugene Norman, former chairman of the New York City Landmarks
Preservation
Commission. The survey area is focused
on the Central Harlem
“valley” between 110th-125 Streets from north to south and Park Avenue to Morningside/Manhattan
Avenue from east to west. Mr. Norman noted that his work will be
conducted in an entirely different economic setting from that of 1985
since it
was almost impossible to get loans for projects 20 years ago. The current re-development boom has increased
the threat to historic resources and made residents more aware of the
need to
protect the architecture of Harlem. The
Preservation
League has worked with the Harlem Preservation Foundation in selecting
the Church of St. Thomas for the Seven
to Save Endangered Properties list for 2005. This
project will build on the increased
neighborhood visibility created by the advocacy for St. Thomas.
ORANGE COUNTY
Constitution Island Association, Constitution Island, West Point
Grant of $3,000 toward
an archaeological survey of portions of Constitution Island. The
Island played a
major role in the Revolutionary War as the anchor point of the
legendary chain
that was stretched across the Hudson River to what
is now from West Point in order
to prevent the British from traveling up the river.
Fortifications and barracks on the Island pre-date
the military use of West Point. Through
identification of the location and extent
of Native
American and Revolutionary War resources, the project will allow the Military Academy and the Constitution
Island
Association to plan for the protection and management of the cultural
resources. The
survey will be conducted by Alexander Archaeological
Consultants from Wildwood, Georgia, who have completed
earlier
studies of the site.
Town of Montgomery
Grant of
$6,800 will support documentation of individual sites identified as
being most
intact and vulnerable in a recently-completed reconnaissance-level
cultural
resource inventory of historic farmsteads. The
work follows the revision of the Town’s comprehensive
plan, and will
serve as a planning tool to address increasing development pressures. Survey results will inform the work of the
Historical Commission and Planning Board in their project reviews and
will also
be used to nominate the farms as landmarks. While
many communities have used open space protection
programs to save
agricultural land, the Town of Montgomery is using historic
preservation to
designate and preserve properties according to the integrity of the
architecture and landscape. The
consultant is Neil Larson of Larson & Fischer Associates based in Woodstock.
OTSEGO COUNTY
Fly Creek Area
Historical Society,
Fly Creek
Grant of
$2,300 toward the cost of preparing a State and National Register of
Historic
Places nomination for approximately 100 late 18th to mid-19th
century properties in the historic mill hamlet of Fly Creek near Cooperstown. The project is
supported by
Preservation Colleague group Otsego 2000 and will be completed by
Jessie
Ravage, Historical Research and Writing, of Cooperstown, New York. Its findings and the landmark designation
itself will be especially important in addressing potential impacts of
proposed
Department of Transportation road work along NYS Route 28, the hamlet’s
main
thoroughfare.
SENECA COUNTY
Seneca County
Historian’s Office, Waterloo
Grant of
$7,000 toward the cost of completing a cultural resources survey of
properties
associated with Abolitionism and African American life between 1820 and
1880 in Seneca County. The survey will
identify the
homes, churches, business places and other sites significant to the
lives of
freedom seekers and their sympathizers throughout the county. The
research will
be completed by Judith Wellman, Historical New York Research
Association of
Fulton, and the results will be used for planning, heritage tourism
activities
and landmark designations. This project
is the fourth countywide survey associated with the nationally
significant
themes of Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad supported by the
Preservation League.
ULSTER COUNTY
Village of Ellenville
Grant of
$7,500 toward the production of an
historic structure report for the Hunt Memorial Building which
will document alterations made over time, assess building conditions
and
outline possible adaptive uses. Preserving
and listing the Hunt Building on the State
and National Register of Historic Places was the first preservation
advocacy work
undertaken by local residents. Their efforts to save the
1915, Classical Revival-style building were inspired by the campaign to
save
the Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh, a project which received
assistance from
the Preserve New York Grant Program in 2002. Over the past five
or more
years, the Village of Ellenville has participated in and
initiated
a number of projects which are aimed at assessing and capitalizing on
local
resources. A new use for
the Hunt Memorial Building will
contribute significantly to the overall improvement of Ellenville’s
business
district. The report will be produced by
Marilyn Kaplan, principal of Preservation Architecture in Albany.
Stone
Ridge Library, Stone Ridge
Grant of
$4,000 will partially support an historic structure report which is an
important aspect of strategic planning work currently underway. The Stone Ridge Library consists of two 18th-century
stone houses located in the Stone Ridge Historic District.
As with many historic libraries, issues include: the best use of existing space, structural
issues; an electrical system that needs updating to accommodate 21st
century technology, and additional space needed for public programs and
a growing
need for storage. The report will
provide the board of trustees with an overall understanding of the
needs of the
buildings and assist with the identification of priorities. The work supports the Preservation League’s
interest in maintaining municipal functions on main streets, and the
site is
one of many libraries facing the
challenge of meeting modern needs in historic facilities.
Historic Preservation consultant Melissa
Thompson of St. Remy, New York will produce the report.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
Town of Cortlandt,
Cortlandt Manor
Grant of
$2,000 toward the cost of completing a survey of the local historic and
rural
roads throughout the Town of Cortlandt. The survey, which
supports the Preservation
League’s Public Policy work on transportation issues, will document the
built
and natural features of approximately 22 miles of roadways which are
characterized by stone walls, mature trees, narrow widths, and one 1897
metal
truss bridge. The project will be prepared by Larson & Fisher
Associates of
Woodstock. The results will advance the town’s strategies to protect
its scenic
and rural qualities in the face of development pressures.
For further information contact Tania
Werbizky, Director of Technical Services and Grant Programs,
Preservation League of
New York
State, (607) 272-6510.
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