Excellence Award Spotlight: The NEST at Strand-Lamon

The NEST is an exciting new hub for performance art and entrepreneurship in the North Country. The two building complex located just off the historic Public Square in downtown Watertown consists of the 1914 Strand Theater and the adjacent c.1900 Lamon Building. The redevelopment has created a dynamic and innovative partnership between SUNY Jefferson Community College (JCC) and the HarmoNNY Performing Arts Group. JCC's NEST facility provides versatile co-working space, conference rooms, bookable offices, high speed internet, and free access to training for members. Above the Lamon Building is now a new fully accessible outdoor rooftop deck and lounge providing a unique reception and performance venue. The Strand Theater, featuring a flexible theater with a small stage for presentations and theatrical performances, is the highlight of the complex. This adaptive reuse project was recognized with a 2025 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award.

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceOctober 21, 20252025 Excellence Awards, North Country, adaptive reuse

Excellence Award Spotlight: Huntington Apartments

The transformation of the historic Huntington Building — originally the National Yeast Company — into Huntington Apartments is a powerful example of how preservation, social impact, and sustainability can converge in one remarkable project. Located at 201 Fall Street in the Village of Seneca Falls, this development is a testament to innovative adaptive reuse and community-driven revitalization. Formerly deteriorating and underutilized, the Huntington Building now offers 53 thoughtfully designed affordable apartments, including 27 permanent supportive housing units for homeless veterans. In partnership with Eagle Star Housing through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI), the project addresses both veteran homelessness and affordable housing needs. These units also honor the community's values, complementing Seneca Falls' Purple Heart Town designation and its proximity to the Purple Heart Trail and Veterans Memorial Bridge. On-site services and rental subsidies offer long-term stability and dignity to residents who have faced significant personal challenges.

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceOctober 21, 20252025 Excellence Awards, Affordable Housing, adaptive reuse

Excellence Award Spotlight: Aqueduct Redevelopment

The transformation of Rochester's historic Aqueduct Building and Campus into a state-of-the-art corporate office complex represents an extraordinary achievement in adaptive reuse and historic preservation. Occupying six interconnected buildings on a campus totaling 182,000 square feet, this project overcame significant architectural, engineering, and cultural challenges to deliver modern, collaborative workspace within a meticulously restored 19th-century industrial setting. The League is proud to recognize this project with a 2025 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award.

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceOctober 20, 20252025 Excellence Awards, Rochester, adaptive reuse

Excellence Award Spotlight: Lofts at the Foundry

The Lofts at the Foundry represents the extraordinary culmination of a nearly 40-year effort to complete one of the Hudson Valley's most ambitious adaptive reuse undertakings: the transformation of the historic Whitehill Engine & Pictet Ice Machine Works in Newburgh, NY into a 120-unit residential condominium. Completed in November 2023, the final phase — 59 units known as The Lofts at the Foundry — overcame decades of economic turmoil, legal setbacks, and previous development missteps to deliver a model of sustainable preservation and community revitalization.

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceOctober 14, 20252025 Excellence Awards, Newburgh, adaptive reuse

Excellence Award Spotlight: Ann-Isabel Friedman

For more than 20 years, Ann-Isabel Friedman directed the Sacred Sites Program at The New York Landmarks Conservancy (NYLC) in New York City, acting as a tireless advocate for historic religious properties. Throughout her distinguished career, she provided an indispensable source of financial support, technical assistance, and educational programming for hundreds of religious spaces – not only in New York City, but throughout the State.

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceSeptember 17, 20252025 Excellence Awards, Sacred Sites

Excellence Award Spotlight: Untermyer Gardens

The restoration of Untermyer Park and Gardens by the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy began in 2011 with a single gardener and an annual visitation of about 5,000 people. In 2025, Untermyer now employs 11 gardeners and welcomes approximately 350,000 visitors annually. Located on 43 acres in Yonkers, it is one of the few important public gardens nationally that is free of charge to the public. The Conservancy works in a public-private partnership with the City of Yonkers, which owns the garden.

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceSeptember 17, 20252025 Excellence Awards, gardens and landscapes

Excellence Award Spotlight: Steve Swiat

“Receiving this statewide recognition is truly an honor and feels like a meaningful milestone after 25 years in the historic trades,” said Steve Swiat. “This represents not only personal accomplishment, but also the privilege I’ve had to contribute to preserving history across New York State. Having the opportunity to work on some of the state’s most remarkable historic homes have been both rewarding and humbling, and this recognition affirms the value of that work.”

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceSeptember 15, 20252025 Excellence Awards, historic trades

Announcing the 2025 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award Winners

“Our annual Excellence Awards are always a highlight because of how clearly they demonstrate the impact preservation can have in communities both big and small,” said Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo. “Reinvigorating old buildings and stewarding places of cultural importance is a way to build a stronger society and support the people who call these places home.”

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceSeptember 15, 20252025 Excellence Awards, Press Release

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Celebrating 50 years // 1974-2024