Seven to Save 2001

1.  Jackson Sanatorium, “Castle on the Hill” – Dansville, Livingston County

Built in 1883 on a hillside, the brick Victorian building, designed by a leading Rochester architectural firm, is visible throughout the town. Its monumental size and prominent location, combined with its important role in the region’s history and economy, make it a beloved local landmark. The health spa and hotel, which operated in this building for nearly 100 years under the ownership of several notable figures, was the area’s major employer and attracted an international clientele. 

At the turn of the 20^th century, the Jackson Sanatorium was operated as a mineral spring spa with an emphasis on healthy activities and food. The owner, Dr. James Caleb Jackson, is credited with creating the first cold, ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. It is said that a member of the Kellogg family came to Dansville and soon after, a variation of Jackson’s “Granula” appeared at the rival Battle Creek Sanatorium in Michigan. 

The water cure spa closed in 1914, followed by several unsuccessful attempts to reopen. It took the flamboyant New York City publisher and health advocate Bernarr McFadden to succeed, operating his Physical Culture Hotel between 1929 and 1955.  A master of promotion for his business undertakings and himself, McFadden sponsored his “Cracked Wheat Derbies,” annual walks from New York City to Dansville, with the participants fueled by cereal and fruit. McFadden operated the former spa as a resort hotel with sports activities and therapeutic treatments meant to build up the patrons, who were guided by McFadden’s motto, “weakness is a crime – don’t be a criminal.”

After Bernarr McFadden’s death in 1955, a New York City hotelier continued to operate the facility under McFadden’s name until 1971. Several private owners inspired hope that the “castle” would reopen but in 1986 the last owner filed for bankruptcy. In 1996, Livingston County took the property for unpaid taxes.

The Conifer Realty Development Corporation has tried three times to secure the necessary funding to renovate the building for use as senior housing. Critical to the project is support from the state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal in the form of loans and tax credits that, with private dollars and other tax credits, would make the renovation plan for housing feasible. Twice DHCR turned down the request and twice, the developer has responded with project improvements. A third request to the State, for an assisted living facility in conjunction with an area hospital, was turned down and Livingston County auctioned the building and its 41 acres, assessed at just over $74,000, on December 3, 2001.

The property was purchased for $45,000 by Buffalo developer Peter Krog, a Dansville native.  Krog has not announced his plans for the historic Castle on the Hill.  Its future, and prospects for any funding, still remain uncertain.

For more information:  Peter Siegrist, Preservation Advisor, Landmark Society of Western New York, 716-546-7029, ext. 29

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2.  The High Line – 34^th Street to Gansevoort Street, New York City

The High Line was built in the 1930s as an elevated steel railway structure for freight trains to safely bring goods into congested Manhattan.  Until the High Line was constructed, freight trains ran perilously down the middle of Tenth Avenue, or “Death Avenue” as the treacherous stretch of road was dubbed due to the number of fatal accidents caused by the mix of rail traffic, vehicles and pedestrians.  As trucking gained popularity, the High Line was abandoned; its last train made a delivery in 1980.  Today, the 1.45-mile line stands above Manhattan’s West Side, from 34^th Street, along the edge of the Hudson River, through the West Chelsea neighborhood and into the heart of the Gansevoort Market Meat Packing District. 

The High Line is a remarkable piece of transportation-related infrastructure; unique to its period of construction and evocative of the transportation and manufacturing history of the West Side. 

Even though abandoned for over 20 years, the High Line remains structurally sound.  However, a group called the Chelsea Property Owners would like to see the High Line demolished, expecting a resulting increase in the value of their properties that run beneath the High Line.  In 1992 at the behest of the Chelsea Property Owners, the Interstate Commerce Commission (now the Surface Transportation Board) issued a Conditional Demolition Order.  CSX, a rail and shipping company based in Richmond, Virginia, owns the line and must work with the property owners group to reach an agreement for a demolition plan, including costs and indemnifications.  The City of New York is attempting to finalize a demolition agreement before the end of the current mayoral administration, bypassing the public review process established by the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.

A group called the Friends of the High Line is working to save the historic elevated railway from demolition.  On November 30, 2001, the Friends of the High Line, joined by the New York City Council, the Manhattan Borough President, and others, filed an Article 78 proceeding and a motion for preliminary injunction against the City of New York, seeking to halt the demolition proceedings.  Members of the friends group see an opportunity with the High Line that would create new public open space raised above the city streets, with views of the Hudson River and the city skyline.  The Friends of the High Line would like to work with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to reuse the High Line as a pedestrian walkway.  The friends group is also working to obtain a Public Use Condition from the Surface Transportation Board, which would permit the group to negotiate with CSX for an Interim Trail Use.

The preliminary financial plan for the reuse of the High Line is estimated at $40-60 million.  This plan considers full structural rehabilitation, the construction of five access points, and landscaping and paving costs.

The High Line is an irreplaceable industrial icon that should be preserved as a reminder of the West Side’s development and history.  As a public open space, the line would add much-needed parkland to Manhattan, and connect three vibrant communities.  It could also provide arts-related uses and strengthen the area’s international reputation as a center of the art world.  If the High Line is demolished, these possibilities vanish forever.

For more information:  Robert Hammond, Friends of the High Line, 917-523-5194.  

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3.  The TWA Terminal -- John F Kennedy Airport, Queens

Built 1956-1961 for what was then Idlewild (now JFK) Airport in Queens, the TWA terminal was one of famed designer Eero Saarinen’s last works – he died in 1960. The building’s undulating shape was meant to evoke the excitement of high speed flight. Its curvilinear forms were used inside and out—and even the terminal’s smallest interior details, lounges, chairs, signs, and telephone booths were designed to harmonize with the curving “gull winged” shell so often depicted as an emblem of the modern 1960s. When opened, the TWA Terminal was heralded as a remarkable design achievement, and 40 years later it continues to be cited by the national and international architectural community for its importance in the modern design movement.  The terminal building, which is largely intact, is a designated New York City landmark, a designated City interior landmark, and is eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

In 2000, the property owner, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, announced its intention to carry out a project that poses serious threats to the architectural integrity of Saarinen’s modern movement icon. The Port Authority is now seeking the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration to surround the airside of the TWA terminal with an enormous, semi-circular new terminal building; demolish the innovative satellite gates and an unspecified portion of the tubular jetways; and strip the TWA terminal of its airline terminal use.  With no immediate plans for a new way to utilize the building, the Port has said it will conduct marketing studies to determine a new use and hopefully redevelop it.

The reaction to these plans from the architecture, design, and preservation community has been one of grave concern. The Museum of Modern Art, The Municipal Art Society, DoCoMoMo, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and a host of internationally recognized architects such as Philip Johnson and Robert A.M. Stern have all expressed their opposition to a plan that would overwhelm and irreversibly alter an internationally significant masterwork of modern design, and rob the building of its original function.

A productive dialogue with civic organizations begun in August and ongoing, mandatory, State and Federal reviews hold promise that the Port Authority’s intentions can be modified. Already, the Port Authority has improved its plans for stabilizing and preserving portions of the building, but the terminal’s innovative gate satellites—the first such gates ever implemented at an airport—remain targeted for demolition.  Preservation advocates maintain that it can still serve a viable airline use, and at least one organization is proposing alternatives to the Port Authority’s plans.  Uncertainty in the air travel industry since September 11^th makes the program to replace the historic terminal with a larger facility all the more questionable.

For more information:  Terence Riley, Chief Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art, 212-708-9547.  Or the Municipal Art Society Web Site.

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4.  Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood – Rochester, Monroe County

Although officially the “Madison Square/West Main Street Historic District, the six-block area located about one mile from downtown Rochester, is better known as the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood. Here, at 17 Madison Street, the renowned suffrage leader made her home between 1866 and 1906. The neighborhood is centered on what is now Susan B. Anthony Square but was laid out in 1839 as “Mechanic’s Square.” This public green space is surrounded by modest wood frame and brick homes built between c. 1830 and 1926. The north edge is Canal Street, the former route of the Erie Canal. The neighborhood’s southern boundary is a three-block long section of West Main Street, the former Buffalo Road and now NYS Route 33. And at the eastern edge are nine brick and concrete industrial buildings.

This once thriving, working class neighborhood has suffered from disinvestment for several decades. Many of the single-family homes have been subdivided into apartments and landlords are unable or unwilling to make necessary improvements. On King Street, with its unusual double row of houses (small homes located directly behind larger ones), 10 of the 15 buildings are boarded up and vacant. Upper floors of the Main Street commercial rows are underutilized and 13 out or 34 commercial storefronts are empty. And seven of the area’s nine industrial buildings are vacant, creating a threatening zone of inactivity.

This 101- building historic district – always a working class neighborhood – is considered to be Rochester’s most fragile. Despite the presence of the Susan B. Anthony House museum (a National Historic Landmark), the neighborhood is in decline. Previously executed housing rehabilitation and public investment projects are jeopardized by the area’s loss of residents and growing social problems. Innovative financial incentives, most especially a [state neighborhood preservation act], are called for, and could be used as a new investment tool with existing housing and social service programs. The Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood could become a model of preservation without displacement by retaining an identity true to the times and the legacy of its famous former resident.

For more information:  Peter Siegrist, Preservation Advisor, Landmark Society of Western New York, 716-546-7029, ext. 29

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5.  Old French Portage Road/New York State Route 394

The Old French Portage Road is an important part of the history and beauty of the Chautauqua region in Western New York. Originally a Native American trail, by 1615 French explorers had begun to use the route as a link between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River Valley. The nine miles of hilly terrain between Chautauqua Lake and Lake Erie was a critical section in this larger transportation network. Much of the present road between the villages of Mayville and Westfield was built in 1753 by French military engineer Hugh Peon and a work force of 200 men when the French had control of lands between Canada and Louisiana. The route played an important role in the movement of supplies and troops during the French and Indian and the Seven Years wars. 

It was not until well after the Revolutionary War that permanent settlement in the region began, encouraged in part by the Holland Land Company, which established an office in Mayville. Homes and government buildings were built in both villages between 1802 and 1825. Mayville became the county seat in 1845 and grew in importance as a resort area while Westfield developed as a business and shipping center due to its proximity to Lake Erie.

Although the initial Native American and French Portage roads had several routes, the present course of New York State Route 394 has been firmly established in the minds of local residents and visitors as the “Old French Portage Road.” It includes portions of the originally “carry” trail and the military road.

Today the historic and scenic qualities of the Old French Portage Route and its continuation along the south shore of Chautauqua Lake are at risk due to state highway projects planned for NYS Route 394, which serves as a connector between I-86 and the New York State Thruway. Between Westfield and Mayville, plans to widen portions of the road, introduce turning lanes, eliminate curves, and remove 71 out of 158 trees could result in a loss of historic character in the Westfield’s French Portage Road Historic District and at the National Register sites in Mayville including early public buildings at Courthouse Square.  Of equal concern are DOT plans in the design stage between Stow and Mayville, past the Chautauqua Institution, a National Historic Landmark.

As one of the main corridors to the Chautauqua region, which is famed for its history and architecture, how NYS Route 394 is treated could have a profound impact on the area’s tourist economy.  Residents note that some of the planned highway work does indeed represent an improvement but fear that overbuilding the road, straightening its course, and removing trees will stress an already busy route, reducing the livability of the historic villages and farms along its course.

The planned work between Westfield and Mayville and a future road project between Mayville and Stow could alter the scenic character of this beautiful region if not done carefully and with concern for the cumulative impact of the proposed changes to the highway.  This project represents a ready challenge for New York State DOT's new Context Sensitive Solutions Initiative, and all efforts should be made to better serve the historic resources and settings along this increasingly well-traveled route.

For more information:  Dean Hanby, Director, Save Our Trees, 716-753-3583, or Dave Correll, President, Landmark Society of Chautauqua County, 716-326-2514.

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6.  City of Hudson – Columbia County

The City of Hudson lies within the proposed shadow of the proposed St. Lawrence cement plant, designed as one of the largest coal fired cement plants in North America.  This massive 1,800-acre facility would include a 1,200-acre open pit mine, a two-mile conveyor belt, and 40 acres of buildings.  In addition, a rarely used docking facility on historic South Bay would be revamped for almost constant use as a docking, loading and storage area for finished cement and various materials used in its production, including coal and heavy metal-laden fly ash.  The resulting traffic, blasting, noise and air pollution from the cement plant would irreversibly despoil the historic and scenic resources of not only the City of Hudson, but also the surrounding region including the Town of Greenport and the Village of Claverack.

The City of Hudson rose to prominence in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a whaling port, but it was also a base for agriculture and other industries operated by established New York families.  The city contains numerous historic sites individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  One of these, the Plumb-Bronson House, was recently nominated by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation for National Historic Landmark status.  On a bluff overlooking South Bay, it was built in 1811 and significantly remodeled in 1839 by A.J. Davis.  Three historic districts in Hudson are also included on the National Register. 

Hudson has also long been an artistic center.  Frederic Church’s home, Olana, lies just to the south, and Sanford Gifford, one of Church’s great colleagues, was from the city itself.  Mount Merino and South Bay, both in Hudson, are recognized as quintessentially American views, appearing on everything from English ceramics to Hudson River School paintings.  These historic and scenic vistas would be compromised by the construction of the massive cement plant.

Today, the historic character of Hudson has been at the core of an astonishing renaissance in the region.  Hudson is now an internationally recognized antiques center and heritage tourism destination.  However, this revitalization could be threatened if St. Lawrence Cement obtains the necessary state and federal permits needed to proceed with their plan.  The first major review, by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, is currently underway.

For more information:  Katherine Kerin, Executive Director, Hudson River Heritage, 845-876-2474.

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7.  Oswego Public Library – Oswego, Oswego County

The Oswego Public Library occupies a prominent corner location in the east side of downtown Oswego. Its Romanesque design combined with more Gothic inspired corbels, turrets and crenellated parapets distinguish this building, designed by Syracuse architect Hughs and Rhodes, from other public buildings in the city and region. Famed abolitionist and Congressman Gerritt Smith donated the land and $25,000 for its construction. Completed in 1855, the Oswego Public Library is the oldest surviving library in continuous use in New York State.  And it’s in trouble.

Facing budget limitations and the belief that more efficient space could be found elsewhere, the library board recently voted to vacate the building, at least on a temporary basis as it decides on a longer-term strategy.  The building has been suffering from structural problems for decades.  Local organizations, residents and library patrons are rallying in support of rehabilitating the historic building and maintaining the library’s presence in the heart of the community. To its credit, the library board has begun a long range planning process to assess options. 

Among the issues faced by Oswego’s and other library boards across the state is how to provide services with shrinking budgets and a declining staff size.  One solution is a trend toward one-story, open plan buildings that can operate with a small staff while providing room for a growing number of computer terminals.  Older, multi-story libraries present challenges when there is a need to meet technological, safety, and accessibility demands. Residents fear that if financial support cannot be identified to maintain and improve the facility, the landmark Oswego Public Library will be abandoned.

For more information:  Patricia Levine, Executive Director, Heritage Foundation of Oswego, 315-342-3354.

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