Excellence in Historic Preservation Award Winners - 2004
The Preservation League of New York State will honor eight projects or individuals with its prestigious Excellence in Preservation Award for 2004 at the League’s Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony in New York City at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12 at The Union Club, 101 East 69th Street at Park Avenue. This statewide program recognizes individuals and organizations for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to the preservation of New York State’s irreplaceable architectural heritage.
“Excellence in Preservation Awards are our principal means of honoring the preservation community and educating the public about the important contribution that historic preservation projects make to our quality of life throughout New York State,” said Scott P. Heyl, President of the Preservation League. “Each year, we are impressed by the number and variety of laudable projects, and 2004 was no exception. We are delighted to give these outstanding projects and individuals the statewide recognition they deserve.”
C. Rieger’s Sons Factory in the South Bronx
“What was once an abandoned industrial building in the South Bronx was converted to provide 34 units of rental housing for low- and moderate-income families,” said Scott P. Heyl, President of the Preservation League. “This is an exemplary preservation project: for too long a symbol of the decline of the rich architectural and industrial heritage of the South Bronx, C. Rieger’s Sons is now a beacon of hope, providing high-quality affordable housing.”
Brooklyn Historical Society
“We are delighted to recognize the success of this multi-year effort to restore a major Brooklyn cultural institution. The outcome balances the grandeur of the 19th century with the technology and accessibility considerations of the 21st,” said Heyl. “The installation of modern building systems was carried out without compromising the historic interior appearance, and the exquisite craftsmanship maintains the integrity of the exquisite design.”
Richmond Avenue Roundabouts, Buffalo, Erie County
“The re-introduction of these traffic circles represents a significant step in the restoration of Frederick Law Olmsted’s masterful 1868 Buffalo parkway system,” said Heyl. “In addition to serving contemporary needs such as traffic calming, the completed circles reflect the original design integrity by using carefully chosen streetlamps and landscaping features.
The Louis Armstrong House Museum, Queens
“The Louis Armstrong House Museum is a celebration of an icon of American Jazz, but also of the of the vernacular architecture of the 20th century, and project managers took a sensitive approach to historic preservation when making the changes required for public access,” said Heyl. “The project transformed a modest private dwelling into a house museum that is now a principal destination along New York’s ‘Jazz Trail’.
The Knickerbocker Mansion, Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County
“While fundraising for preservation efforts is often difficult in New York’s rural communities, support for the Knickerbocker Mansion has been carefully cultivated over the years – and tourists, students and residents alike are reaping the benefits,” said Heyl. “Thanks to the vision and heroic work of the Knickerbocker Historical Society, this rare 18th century building has been saved from certain ruin, and the exterior of a historically significant property been restored.”
Emerson Place, Watertown, Jefferson County
“This project demonstrates the power of historic preservation, through the renaissance of an entire neighborhood following the restoration of Watertown’s formerly blighted rowhouses,” said Heyl. “The restoration of 22 housing units in a 100-year-old Georgian Revival-style row brought new life to a threatened area of Watertown, and will hopefully serve as an inspiration for increased preservation activity throughout the city.”
The New York City Department of Design & Construction, Health Unit
For organizational excellence
“When urgent repairs were deemed necessary at three former state armories used to shelter New York City’s homeless population – Park Slope and Bedford/Atlantic Armories in Brooklyn and Franklin Avenue Armory in the Bronx – renovations were combined into a single design project,” said Heyl. “We salute the DDC not only for their commitment to historic preservation, but for the example they set through their careful and creative restoration of these city-owned structures – the efforts of all those involved are highly commendable.”
U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey, 22nd Congressional District
For individual excellence
“Rep. Hinchey’s accomplishments as an Assemblyman in Albany and as a Congressman in Washington have furthered the preservation and interpretation of, and education about our cultural, historic and natural resources,” said Heyl. “He is in many ways a renaissance man of the 21st century, and the legislation and programs that he has introduced have led to heightened awareness and appreciation of these resources that are unique to the Empire State.
The Preservation League Statewide Awards Program is funded by a generous grant from the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation of Miami, Florida.
By leading a statewide preservation movement, sharing information and expertise and raising a unified voice, the Preservation League of New York State promotes historic preservation as a tool to revitalize our neighborhoods and communities, honor our heritage and enrich our lives.