Announcing the 2026 Preservation Opportunity Fund Grantees
The Preservation League of NYS is thrilled to share that two capital projects will receive funding from its Preservation Opportunity Fund in 2026.
The League has awarded $40,000 to Citizens Advocating Memorial Preservation, Inc. (CAMP) and $10,000 to the 1890 House Museum and Center for the Arts (a portion of this award is made possible by the Estate of Warren S. Eddy).
Cattaraugus County Memorial and Historical Building Asbestos Abatement and Rehabilitation
“The awarding of this $40,000 grant from the Preservation League of NYS is wonderful news. We are very grateful to the League for its support,” said Thomas Stetz, President of CAMP. “For over a decade, CAMP has tirelessly taken the needed steps towards rehabilitating and reopening the Memorial Building at 302 Court Street in Little Valley. This grant from the Preservation Opportunity Fund will allow us to make major progress and honor the patriotic contributions of Civil War soldiers and sailors from Cattaraugus County as well as this significant historic property. A Great way to start 2026!”
The Cattaraugus County Memorial and Historical Building has anchored the County Seat since 1914, visibly expressing the County's gratitude for its citizens' service during the Civil War. The building was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2025. This nationally significant building is not currently accessible to the public due to asbestos-containing materials. CAMP, a community-led nonprofit, saved the Memorial Building from demolition, stabilized it, and made it rehab ready. This grant will help fund the required interior remediation, enabling safe and healthy public access, which will allow public events for the first time in over 15 years.
“CAMP's efforts to save this important building from demolition demonstrates the power of grassroots preservationists. Without their tireless advocacy over the last ten years, this monument to Cattaraugus County's Civil War veterans would be long gone," said Caitlin Meives, Director of Preservation at the Preservation League of NYS. ”We are thrilled to offer financial support to this worthy project – one that's especially fitting during the country's 250th anniversary.”
1890 House Museum and Center for the Arts: Restoration of Windows
“This support from the Preservation League will help us continue our work on this historic gem of the Cortland community,” said Jane Hunter, President of the 1890 House Museum and Center for the Arts. “Although there is much more work to be done, we are committed to extending our best efforts toward restoring this cultural resource and preserving it for future generations.”
Water infiltration has been an ongoing concern at the historic 1890 House. This Preservation Opportunity Fund Grant will help address some of the windows that show the most deterioration in their frames, sashes, casing, and other structural components. This work is informed by a Limited Condition Assessment supported by the Preservation League of NYS through a New York State Council on the Arts partnership Technical Assistance Grant. Randall Crawford of Crawford & Stearns, Architects and Preservation Planners, Syracuse, NY, completed this assessment and advised the museum on this project. Timothy Robideau of Makerguy Woodworks, Homer, NY, will complete the window restoration work.
The 1890 House Museum and Center for the Arts is the cornerstone of the Tompkins Street/Main Street National Historic District in Cortland, NY. Chester Wickwire, the owner of the home, was a leading industrialist who patented an innovative way of making wire cloth and woven wire (window screens, sifters, and related products). He and his brother Theodore founded the Wickwire Brothers, which became one of the largest producers of wire cloth and woven wire in the world. The architect, Samuel B. Reed, built the mansion in Romanesque Revival style with Chateauesque features. The house has beautiful mosaic stained-glass windows by Henry Belcher, intricate wood carvings designed by JB Tiffany (cousin of the famous glass maker), and elaborately stenciled walls and ceilings by Henry Allewelt. The house remained in the family until 1973, after which it was purchased by the Landmark Society of nearby Homer, NY, and turned into a museum. The museum now is operated and managed by an active all-volunteer staff and board.
"The 1890 House Museum and Center for the Arts has a remarkable collection of historic wood and stained glass windows,” said Caitlin Meives, Director of Preservation at the Preservation League of NYS. “We are pleased to support the museum's efforts to restore and protect these important elements of the house's character and story."
As Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo said when the grant program was first announced last year, “We have seen a clear need from nonprofits across the state for more grant funding specifically for capital improvement projects. Through our Preservation Opportunity Fund, we hope to meet some of that need.”
The creation of the Preservation Opportunity Fund in 2024 was a strategic decision, allowing the League to have an immediate impact on historic sites in need of maintenance and repair. Granting organizations the money they need to complete pressing projects will enable them to more successfully steward the historic places they own and operate.
Annual grants made from this fund support discrete capital projects on historic buildings, sites, structures, and objects. Organizations with an ownership interest in, or a long-term lease of, a historic property requiring preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation, are eligible. These grant funds aim to help those organizations that already have a clear idea of what their historic building needs — but may not yet have the funding in place to make it happen. More info at preservenys.org/preservation-opportunity-fund