A Proclamation in Albany
On Wednesday, March 27, alongside our colleagues at Historic Albany Foundation (who are also celebrating their 50th Anniversary!) the League received a proclamation from Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. In addition to the Mayor, we were honored that both Congressman Paul D. Tonko and NYS Assemblymember John T. McDonald were on hand to show their support. Relationships with elected officials like Rep. Tonko and AM McDonald are essential to our statewide work and we are grateful for their continued support of historic preservation in NYS.
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Documenting the Architecture South of Union Square
As part of our Seven to Save artist interventions, the League commissioned photographer Dylan Chandler to document some of the incredible architecture you will find in the neighborhood South of Union Square. This project was commissioned by the Preservation League of NYS in partnership with Village Preservation thanks to a Capacity & Regrowth grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. Through that grant, the League is using art to draw attention to its 2022-2023 Seven to Save endangered historic sites across the state.
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Albany's Kenwood Convent Lost to Fire
The Preservation League was saddened to learn of the loss of the former Kenwood Convent, also known as the former Academy of the Sacred Heart, in Albany. In 2010, shortly after the building was vacated, the League listed the building on our Seven to Save list; our colleagues at the Historic Albany Foundation likewise included it on their Endangered Historic Resources List. This beautiful campus was rich in both history and frustrations: architecturally distinctive, historically fascinating, but subject to a series of failed development projects in recent years. The site was left vacant and vulnerable for over a decade. On March 23, despite the valiant efforts of first responders, it was lost to a terrible fire. Thumbnail image: Jim Franco for the Times Union
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Voices of Preservation: Historic preservation must be a part of the Micron planning efforts
In this editorial, the Preservation Association of Central New York’s President Andrew Roblee lays out how historic preservation can play a crucial role in a revitalized Central New York. Micron Technology’s planned semiconductor fabrication facility in Clay (about 15 miles outside of Syracuse) would have a profound effect on the region for many years to come. As a recent article from the Syracuse Post-Standard asks, “Micron would change Syracuse area for decades to come. Are we up to the challenge?”
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South of Union Square: Home to Trailblazing Artists, Dancers, Labor Leaders, and Birth Control Advocates
Explore the artistic legacy of the neighborhood #SouthOfUnionSquare, including a building home to a series of leading Abstract Expressionist and Pop Artists; the residence and studio of a great Chinese American modernist avant-garde painter; the office of a groundbreaking labor organization that pioneered contraceptive coverage through health insurance; and dance studios run by important choreographers.
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Musical Heritage and History South of Union Square
Music and the Village are synonymous, perhaps no place more so than where Greenwich Village and the East Village meet, south of Union Square. Today we’re taking a wonderful journey through this area to look at several notable musicians, music venues, and recording studios that found a home here, from jazz to punk, blues to folk. With the help of our new South of Union Square map and its music tour, we can explore some incredible spots where the course of music history was changed in this endangered area for which we are seeking landmark protections, and listen to some of the great sounds that emerged from this creative cauldron while we’re at it.
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Women’s History South of Union Square
The neighborhood South of Union Square holds a unique place in the history of women’s rights and women’s suffrage movements. In the very same University Place building where a prominent 19th-century philanthropist donated to women’s causes, a famed lesbian bar attracted trailblazing women writers. In two buildings on Fifth Avenue, numerous progressive organizations were founded and blossomed: the first organization to insure contraception, the first African American magazine, and a chapter of the oldest women’s peace organization — the latter two under female leadership. On East 14th Street, the headquarters of the New York City Woman Suffrage League led the organizing effort for achieving women’s suffrage in New York State; and back on University Place the first woman doctor in America established her home and office.
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South of Union Square Master Architect: James Renwick, Jr.
James Renwick, Jr. (November 1, 1818 — June 23, 1895) was one of the 19th century’s most prolific and successful American architects. Renwick is best known for his mastery of the Gothic Revival and Romanesque styles, as evidenced in his masterworks Grace Church (1843-1858), St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue (1859-1878), and the Smithsonian Institute on Washington D.C.’s Mall (1846). James Renwick, Jr.’s New York roots are in the area south of Union Square. Descended from the Brevoort family who held a great deal of land in the neighborhood, it is no surprise that Renwick left his mark on the built environment of this neighborhood.
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The Eclectic Streetscapes South of Union Square
Beautifully detailed 1899 “Mail & Express” Broadway Streetscape Illustrations demonstrate the urgency of Village Preservation’s campaign to landmark the area #SouthOfUnionSquare.
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Seven to Save Spotlight: Proposed South of Union Square Historic District
The proposed South of Union Square Historic District is one of this year’s Seven to Save. This neighborhood in Manhattan boasts a wide variety of of building types, many of which have ties to important social and cultural movements. Our colleagues at Village Preservation have been pushing for landmark designation and zoning protections to preserve the area’s historic character, limit out-of-scale construction, and prevent needless demolition.
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2021-2026 NYS Historic Preservation Plan Released
The 2021-2026 Plan is meant to identify ways in which all New Yorkers, not just those who are traditionally included in the preservation field, can have a role in identifying and protecting places that are important to them. Unlike past plans, the 21-26 plan places increased emphasis on ideas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
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A Few Words About Steven Engelhart, A Great Leader and Mentor
In this guest blog post, Adirondack Architectural Heritage Education Programs Director Nolan Cool shares some thoughts on his colleague and mentor Steven Engelhart. Steven is one of this year’s Excellence in Historic Preservation Award winners and will be retiring from AARCH at the end of 2021.
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Excellence Award Spotlight: Preservation Buffalo Niagara
PBN’s diligence, perseverance, and dedication to creating an anti-racist preservation movement is what makes them an exceptional and unparalleled model for preservation in the future.
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The 2020 City-Wide Preservation Bake-Off Winner
A recreation of the Customs House takes the cake.
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Voices of Preservation: Larry Francer on Parrott Hall
The effort to save Parrott Hall has relied on a collaborative effort of several groups including The Landmark Society of Western New York. In this guest blog post, LSWNY Assistant Director Larry Francer provides an update on how things have been moving along since contracts were awarded back in September.
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Great Preservation Holiday Bake-off
Snap a photo of your gingerbread brownstone, cupcake Guggenheim, or cookies frosted like the Brooklyn Bridge. League staff will choose a winner and share all the entries on December 11 on our social media, website, and email.
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Richard Lippold & Orpheus and Apollo: An Expert Panel Discussion
Our colleagues at LANDMARK WEST! hosted a webinar to explore the importance of artist Richard Lippold and his site-specific work — with a special focus on the Seven to Save-listed para-architectural installation Orpheus and Apollo, previously installed at Lincoln Center. If you missed the live event, you can watch the recording here.
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Village Preservation's 19th Amendment Centennial StoryMap
Our colleagues at Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation created an interactive map to explore places in their neighborhood with significance in the women’s suffrage movement to help celebrate the centennial of the 19th amendment.
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Porches Across Saratoga (& Beyond)
As so many gatherings get cancelled for the health and safety of everyone involved, we’ve been inspired by the innovative ways some groups have found to keep coming together. Our colleagues at Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation recently revamped their annual Porch Party into a virtual gathering. It was a way to make sure they still celebrated preservation in Saratoga Springs as a community — while being appropriately distanced.
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Voices of Preservation: Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH)
We checked in with our colleagues at Adirondack Architectural Heritage to see how their organization has been adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what they had to say.
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