Click here for a PDF of this support letter submitted to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation on August 15, 2025.

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August 15, 2025

Steve Guglielmi
NYSDEC
PO Box 296, 1115 State Route 86
Ray Brook, NY 12977

RE: Debar Pond Lodge 2025 DEIS Draft Scope Comment

Dear Mr. Guglielmi:

The Preservation League of New York State submits the following comments in response to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Draft Scope for its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Debar Mountain Complex. The League is New York’s statewide nonprofit historic preservation organization. We frequently partner with our regional colleagues at Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) to support preservation efforts throughout the Adirondack region.

In recent years, we have worked with AARCH and the Debar Pond Institute to support preservation and reuse of Debar Pond Lodge, advocating for passage of a constitutional amendment to remove the remaining historic buildings from the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Today, we continue to support AARCH’s call for a collaborative approach that would reclassify the lodge complex as Historic.

AARCH has extensive experience working collaboratively with the DEC and Town of Newcomb on the stabilization, restoration, and interpretation of Great Camp Santanoni, part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, in Essex County. The League stands ready to support any efforts to explore similar collaborative reuse options.

We respectfully offer the following specific comments in response to the Draft DEIS Scope:

Non-Conforming Structure: New York State has an option to keep Debar Pond Lodge and manage the surrounding land as Wild Forest through the Historic land use classification available in the State Land Master Plan. Places such as Hurricane and St. Regis Mountain fire towers and Great Camp Santanoni remain as conforming structures under this classification. Again, AARCH’s collaborative stewardship of Great Camp Santanoni provides a template for this model.

Significance: As an example of Adirondack camp design, an important work of noted regional architect, William Distin, and due to its direct association with Adirondack tourism in the first half of the twentieth century, Debar Pond Lodge is indeed significant to the history, architecture, and culture of the Adirondack Park. All of these areas of significance are enumerated in the National Register of Historic Places nomination. As such, the Debar Pond Lodge meets the APSLMP definition for Historic areas.

Initial List of Potential Mitigation Measures: The potential mitigation measures listed in the Draft Scope, such as public educational materials and interpretive elements, would do little to mitigate the loss of a significant historic structure that helps tell the unique history of the Adirondack Park and that could serve as an accessible site from which to enjoy Debar Pond’s natural environment.

Potential challenges and benefits of rehabilitation: While the reuse and programming of the lodge would require a significant investment, the demolition and removal of Debar Pond Lodge will cost time and money in DEC resources, with no benefit to the public. Resources could be more economically put towards building repairs. In addition, AARCH—a respected and professional regional preservation organization, with a 35-year history of partnership with the DEC—has expressed readiness to commit to a public/private partnership that could bring significant resources to the table.

The potential benefit to the public of such a partnership would be greater than that of demolition. With proximity to a parking area, the lodge could provide accessible restrooms and public recreation facilities (a stated DEC goal for the site). The lodge would allow the public to explore the intersection of nature and culture in the Adirondacks and would serve as a draw for visitors.

There are few places in the forest preserve where one can experience wilderness in concert with historic architecture on public land. The harmony of historic architecture with an incredibly beautiful natural surrounding serves as a net asset to the people of New York State. Creating beautiful accessible spaces for all people who would like to experience the peacefulness of Debar Pond and incorporating a historic structure built in concert with its surroundings democratizes the space and contributes to creating an Adirondacks for all to enjoy.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment and for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff if the Preservation League can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Jay DiLorenzo
President, Preservation League of NYS

Click here for a PDF of this support letter submitted to the Rochester Planning Commission on August 15, 2025.

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August 15, 2025

Rochester Planning Commission c/o City of Rochester Department of Planning and Zoning
30 Church Street, Room 125B
Rochester, NY 14614

RE: L-001-25-26, Landmark Designation 76 Anderson Avenue, Cutler Mail Chute Company Building

Dear Members of the Planning Commission:

On behalf of the Preservation League of New York State, I write in strong support of landmark designation of the Cutler Mail Chute Company Building at 76 Anderson Avenue. This designation not only aligns with the City's longstanding preservation goals but also directly advances the objectives and policies outlined in the 2034 Comprehensive Plan (2034 CP) and City Code § 120-193A(3)(b), which guide your Commission’s review.

The Preservation League of New York State empowers all New Yorkers to use historic preservation to enrich their communities, protect their heritage, and build a sustainable future. As New York’s statewide nonprofit preservation advocacy organization, we support the efforts of Rochester’s citizens to recognize and protect this highly significant building.

The property meets each of the Planning Commission standards for designation, outlined below.

§ 120-193A(3)(b)-1 – The proposed designation will be in harmony with the City's Comprehensive Plan and overall planning program of the City.

The 2034 Plan identifies historic preservation as a key strategy for Reinforcing Strong Neighborhoods and emphasizes “capitalizing on the unique existing assets within the city,” including historic buildings like this one. The Cutler Mail Chute Company Building is a visual and cultural anchor within the Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA), whose very identity has been shaped by the reuse of historic industrial and commercial buildings.

Designating this building will reinforce the city’s historic character, as encouraged by the 2034 CP, while continuing the pattern of strategic reinvestment along Anderson Avenue. Furthermore, the designation poses no barriers to adaptive reuse—in fact, the property has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the proposed Anderson Avenue Historic District, which would make the property eligible for state and federal historic tax credits, supporting economic development and job creation. The property’s M-1 zoning district remains fully intact, allowing redevelopment in line with current land use goals.

§ 120-193A(3)(b)-2 – The proposed designation will not adversely impact the growth and development of the City.

Preserving this structure will not hinder the city’s growth or development goals. Similar industrial-era buildings have been successfully adapted across Rochester—many with landmark status and historic tax credits—such as the Sibley Building, Gannett Building, and Bevier Memorial Building. The existing footprint and exterior configuration, which would not be replicable under current NYS Building Code, make this building a particularly valuable candidate for preservation. The leniency offered to designated historic buildings by code provisions enhances feasibility for future investment and redevelopment. Importantly, the proposed designation applies only to the exterior, allowing full flexibility for interior adaptation to meet contemporary uses.

§ 120-193A(3)(b)-3 – The proposed designation will not adversely impact any scheduled public improvement or renewal project.

The proposed designation affects only a single privately owned parcel, with no implications for the public right-of-way or known easements. Therefore, there is no conflict with public improvement or renewal projects scheduled or envisioned for the area.

In summary, the Cutler Mail Chute Company Building satisfies all relevant Planning Commission criteria for landmark designation. It upholds the intent of the City’s preservation ordinance, aligns with the 2034 Comprehensive Plan’s neighborhood and economic development goals, and promotes orderly, character-driven reinvestment in one of Rochester’s most iconic urban districts.

We respectfully urge the Planning Commission to support this landmark designation and help safeguard one of Rochester’s irreplaceable historic assets.

Sincerely,

Caitlin Meives
Director of Preservation, Preservation League of NYS

Local advocates in Schenectady, led by our colleagues at Schenectady Heritage Foundation, are currently lobbying for historic overlay zoning of the 1918 Masonic Temple. Located on the corner of State Street and Erie Blvd, the building occupies a prominent location in Schenectady’s Downtown district — a neighborhood included on the League’s Seven to Save list back in 2000. The League’s VP for Policy & Preservation Katie Comeau submitted the following letter to the Schenectady Planning Commission in support of the local historic designation of the former Masonic Temple.

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To: Planning Commission, City of Schenectady Department of Development
Schenectady City Hall, 105 Jay Street Schenectady, NY 12305

Dear Commissioners:

On behalf of the Preservation League of New York State, I am writing in support of the local historic designation of the former Masonic Temple at the intersection of State Street and Erie Boulevard. This building has been determined eligible for the State and National Registers of Historic Places “as an excellent local example of an early twentieth century Neoclassical commercial building,” and meets the criteria for local landmark designation as well.

Constructed in 1912 as retail and showroom space for a local furniture store, the building was remodeled several years later to serve as a Masonic temple. Its historic association with the local Masonic organization, as well as its architectural significance and visual prominence, all contribute to its significance and worthiness for landmark status.

At the League, we support efforts by local preservation advocates and municipal preservation boards to designate and protect historic buildings, districts, and landscapes that are important to their communities. Retention and reuse of historic buildings is beneficial to community character, economic revitalization, and environmental sustainability. We encourage the Planning Commission to recommend inclusion of this building in the OH Overlay Historic District.

Sincerely,

Katie Eggers Comeau
Vice President for Policy and Preservation, Preservation League of NYS