Technical Assistance Grants - 2021
Preservation efforts across 14 counties were selected to receive funding totaling over $62,000 – Plus New Funding Available!
The Dorothy Riester House & Studio in Cazenovia is one of the 2021 Technical Assistance Grant recipients.
The Preservation League of New York State and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts, Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, and Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area are thrilled to announce the recipients of their 2021 Technical Assistance Grants. During this grant cycle, 17 projects representing 14 counties across the state have been selected by an independent panel of preservation professionals. A total of $62,953 was awarded.
Continue reading for more on each of our 2021 TAG grantees, or jump to: Ten Broeck – Olcott Carriage Barn (Albany County) | Palmer Opera House (Allegany County) | YWCA Cortland (Cortland County) | Locust Street Neighborhood Art Classes (Erie County) | William Brandow House (Greene County) | Dorothy Riester House & Studio (Madison County) | Broodmare Barn (Montgomery County) | Old Westbury Gardens, Sea Cliff Water Company 1940 Pump House, Science Museum of Long Island (Nassau County) | Cleveland House (Ontario County) | Faber Farmhouse (Orange County) | Schoharie Free Library Association (Schoharie County) | Caleb Smith House, Council for the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall (Suffolk County) | Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (Ulster County) | Rye Meeting House (Westchester County)
The Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program is a partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Preservation League of New York State. The Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area has provided $10,000 additional support for the five projects within the National Heritage Area boundary. Three nonprofit projects on Long Island received Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation funds, totaling $11,960. The TAG program supports arts centers, historic sites, music halls, theaters, libraries, and other cultural nonprofit or municipal entities that steward historic buildings throughout New York State.
With the announcement of the 2021 awards, support provided by TAG since its launch in 2012 totals $533,974. These grants have directly advanced the efforts of 172 preservation projects.
NYSCA and the League are have also announced the availability of Preserve New York grants for 2022. Applications will be accepted through Friday, April 15. Launched in 1993, Preserve New York makes grants for historic structure reports, building condition reports, cultural landscape reports, and cultural resource surveys. Applicants must be a unit of local government or a nonprofit group with tax-exempt status. State agencies and religious institutions are not eligible to apply. Click here to learn more.
“Our Technical Assistance Grants can have long lasting impacts on cultural organizations across the state. Year after year, we love seeing how these grants jumpstart preservation projects that might not otherwise have been possible,” said Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo. “We are grateful for the continued partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as the generous support of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation and Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.”
“Technical Assistance Grants promote the longevity of New York State’s outstanding arts and culture spaces by providing critical dollars for preservation initiatives. Cultural organizations are central to the well-being of towns, villages, and cities across our state, and we are so pleased to once again work with the Preservation League of New York State.” Mara Manus, Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts. “On behalf of the entire NYSCA Team, we congratulate all recipients on their awards!”
"The New York State Council on the Arts congratulates all TAG awardees,” shared Katherine Nicholls, Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts. “Investing in preservation projects promotes our state’s health and history and ensures that our state’s cultural anchors will continue to grow and thrive. Council is keenly aware of the importance of these preservation projects and looks forward to seeing them come to life.”
“TAG provides an avenue for us of evaluating and funding different projects that are important to our partners,” said Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Executive Director Scott Keller. “Congratulations to all the recipients! We are continually impressed with both the quantity and quality of the applications for this program.”
“The restoration and preservation of our historic sites can be a daunting project. The Preservation League of NYS's TAG awards are an invaluable aid to our historic stewards. They prepare them to better understand the needs of their historic sites,” said Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation Executive Director Kathryn M. Curran. “Our partnership with the League helps these groups to submit stronger, solid applications to RDLGF for potential future support. I would like to offer a special thanks to the dedicated panelists for their time and efforts in the review the applications and to the staff of the Preservation League who are so available and willing to work with our stewards to help them in this process.”
Albany County: Albany County Historical Association, Ten Broeck – Olcott Carriage Barn
Three images showing the Ten Broeck-Olcott Carriage Barn’s foundation/thresholds, located to the southwest of the Ten Broeck Mansion.
Albany County Historical Association has received a grant to fund a Feasibility Reuse Study for the Ten Broeck-Olcott Carriage Barn.
“We are excited to begin the process to find a creative home for the rich educational and cultural offerings we have at the ACHA | Ten Broeck Mansion,” said Kathryn Kosto, executive director of the Albany County Historical Association. “Funding from Preservation League of NYS will help us study possible re-use of the site of the historic Ten Broeck Olcott Carriage Barn as a new cultural and education center. A new structure will help us meet our needs for a creative community space to hold programs, mount history, archaeology, and art exhibits, and welcome visitors and school groups as they explore the Ten Broeck Mansion and our four acres of historic landscape and gardens. We are especially excited, since this study allows us to implement one of the recommendations of our recent Cultural Landscape Report, which was funded by the Preservation League in 2020.”
Allegany County: Cuba Friends of Architecture, Palmer Opera House
Street view of the Palmer Opera House on Main Street in Cuba, NY. Photo credit: Mike Doyle
Cuba Friends of Architecture has received a grant to fund a Building Condition Survey of the Palmer Opera House, specifically studying the performance area windows.
“TAG funds will help provide a set of solutions to difficult and urgent problems in our performance space centered on our monumental character defining windows,” said Dr. Michael Doyle of Cuba Friends of Architecture.
Exteriors of the existing side jambs and sills are weather damaged and date from 1872. None of the original six-over-six window sashes remain in the building. The replacement sashes did not duplicate the originals, nor did they have a proper design for the double pane glass they now contain. Glass is glued in with an adhesive caulk. The windows are dangerous to open and have no functional weather seals. This survey will inform potential solutions to these issues.
Cortland County: YWCA Cortland
An overview of the YWCA Cortland building. Photo credit: Angela Loh
“This award will help the YWCA Maintenance Committee move forward with an architectural scope of services to evaluate the building masonry on the main facility that houses all YWCA programs and services. This funding will help our agency move forward in addressing safety concerns with resources and support. We are thankful for this award,” said Kelly Tobin, YWCA Cortland Executive Director.
The funds will be used to complete an Engineering Structural Analysis of the YWCA building.
Erie County: Locust Street Neighborhood Art Classes, Inc.
Front facade view of the ca. 1860 former convent building at 138 Locust Street in the Fruit Belt neighborhood of Buffalo that is home to Locust Street Arts. Note the historic Medina sandstone steps that are a lovely distinguishing feature of this National Register-eligible building — but are an obstacle for access to the physically challenges. Photo credit: Rachelyn Noworyta
Locust Street Neighborhood Arts will use their grant to fund a Handicapped Accessibility Study.
Greene County: Greene Land Trust, William Brandow House aka The Willows
The William Brandow House in Greene County. Photo credit: Rich Ahlberg
The Greene Land Trust has received a grant to fund a Handicapped Accessibility Study for the William Brandow House aka The Willows.
Madison County: Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, Dorothy Riester House & Studio aka Hilltop House
The living room of Dorothy Riester’s Hilltop House & Studio, located on the grounds of the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia, NY. Photo credit: Sarah Tietje-Mietz
“The Hilltop House is an exquisite example of an artist-crafted mid-century site. The Technical Assistance Grant from the Preservation League of New York State and their program partners allows us to work with Jablonski Building Conservation, Inc. to identify the exact finishes used in the exterior and interior of the home. This project will provide us with a clear understanding of the original palette of finishes, and reinforces the important contributions made by mid-century architecture to the greater history of building construction and design.” said Sarah Tietje-Mietz, Director of the Hilltop House and Studio. “Honoring Riester’s vibrant and playful use of colors and finishes in her home’s design is crucial for us as we undertake preservation projects. This Technical Assistance Grant allows us to move forward with the highest standards in our work as dedicated stewards and advocates for the site.”
An analysis of approximately 10 finishes employed in the Hilltop House, which includes the finishes employed on the walls (both interior and exterior) beams, window and door framing, and decorative accents, will be undertaken by Jablonski Building Conservation, Inc., and is one piece of a larger effort to address preservation projects in the home and studio. Constructed between the late 1950s and the early 1970s, this intact example of midcentury vernacular architecture, artistry and craftsmanship reveals information about materials and formulas created and used in the residential building industry specific to the mid-century, as well as the distinct palette created by an artist for her residence. This project will make visible the process of current scientific preservation technologies and opens the conversation of their relevance to structures of the recent past. As part of its commitment to equity and inclusion, Art Park will allocate 5% of the project budget to support an artist collaboration with the project, a commitment which allows Stone Quarry to incorporate diverse perspectives in every facet of the organization—from programming to capital projects.
Montgomery County: Town of Amsterdam, Broodmare Barn
A collage of three photos showing overall views of the Broodmare Barn. Photo credit: Friends of Sanford Stud Farm
The Town of Amsterdam has received a grant to fund a Structural Assessment of the historic Broodmare Barn located at the Sanford Stud Farm site.
“We are very excited to help preserve this important facet of local history. We hope that our efforts here make a lasting contribution and develop into further preservation, restoration, and public appreciation of this special building,” said Delaware Engineering’s Emily Konick.
Amsterdam carpet industrialist Stephen Sanford established the 1,100-acre Hurricana Farm (aka Sanford Stud Farm) in the late 1870s along present-day Route 30, just north of the City of Amsterdam. The farm was renowned for the breeding and racing of thoroughbred horses for over 100 years. It was sold in 1986, and its northern acreage has been transformed by extensive commercial development. In April 2006, the Town of Amsterdam took title to a cluster of historic barns on a one-acre parcel in hopes of preserving and restoring them.
The Broodmare Barn has been standing for 200 years and although the Town of Amsterdam and Friends of Sanford Stud Farm have put many efforts into the rehabilitation of the building, there is more that needs to be done to save this important historical landmark. The Town of Amsterdam, along with the Friends of Sanford Stud Farm and their engineering consultant, Delaware Engineering, DPC, will perform a Structural Analysis of the building to assess the structural integrity and explore areas of the building that need updates and fixes. The end result, a comprehensive structural engineering analysis and study, will provide the most appropriate approach to treatment, prior to the commencement of work, and will outline recommended work along with establishing a rehabilitation budget.
Nassau County: Old Westbury Gardens, Thatched Cottage
Old Westbury Gardens Thatched Cottage as viewed looking north. Photo credit: James Large
“The Thatched Cottage is in the former play area created for the children of Jay and Margarita Phipps,” said Lorraine Gilligan, Director of Preservation for Old Westbury Gardens. “The cottage was built in 1916 as a surprise for their only daughter Peggie Phipps’ tenth birthday and today is an environmental learning lab for families and drop-in activities. Old Westbury Gardens thanks the Gardiner Foundation and the Preservation League for supporting this project.”
The focus of the Thatched Cottage assessment is to gather data and recommendations for the windows, oaken beams, and stucco finish in order to prevent further deterioration and avoid extensive restoration. The thatched roof was rehabilitated in 2018 to provide a watertight structure.
Nassau County: Village of Sea Cliff, Sea Cliff Water Company 1940 Pump House
A view of the front facade of the 1940 Pump House seen from the north. Photo credit: Erinn McDonnell
The Village of Sea Cliff Water Company 1940 Pump House has received a grant to fund a Building Condition Survey.
“The Sea Cliff Water Company Pump House is a legacy project that will preserve a significant piece of regional history,” says Sea Cliff Mayor Elena Villafane. “The restoration and repurposing of the unique and historic pump house building will be certain to benefit residents and visitors alike well into the future. The Village is excited and grateful to receive an award from the 2021 TAG program.”
The Sea Cliff Water Company at Prospect Avenue, Sea Cliff, NY played a critical role in the development of the Village since 1891. Along with the eventual construction of conveyance infrastructure throughout the community, the capacity to pump clean water from the area’s exclusive aquifer allowed the Village to grow from a seasonal church campground into a major bustling resort town by the turn of the 20th century. In 1940, a second pump house was designed by architects Meyer & Mathieu of Brooklyn to replace an earlier pump and was constructed to resemble the residential dwellings surrounding the water company property. Meyer & Mathieu was a prominent architectural firm of the time, designing several significant municipal buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as the Sea Cliff Firehouse in 1931. The diesel pump installed in the 1940 pump house serviced the Village well into the 20th century until a modern water tower was constructed, at which time the property fell into relative disuse.
The Village purchased the property in 2021 and is in the process of initiating a range of actions to determine how the property and its buildings can be restored and repurposed to the best extent possible.
Nassau County: Science Museum of Long Island, Norwood House
The Norwood House on the grounds of Nassau County’s Leeds Pond Preserve. Photo credit: Corinne Michels
Science Museum of Long Island has received a grant to fund an Accessibility Study of Norwood House.
“Norwood House, our main teaching facility, was built as a residence in 1906 with no accommodations made for people with disabilities,” said Dr. Corinne A. Michels. “This award will enhance our efforts to increase participation in our programs by students and adults with physical impairments.”
The Science Museum of Long Island (SMLI) has exclusive use for its education programs of the buildings on Nassau County’s Leeds Pond Preserve (Norwood House, the Carriage House, the Cottage, and several smaller structures). Norwood House is a four-story building. It is where most of SMLI’s programs are taught and houses the administrative offices. Currently, only the first floor is accessible to people with physical limitations. SMLI, in collaboration with Nassau County, is aggressively refurbishing the basic infrastructure of Norwood House. This Accessibility Study will inform any necessary interior renovations to facilitate access to at least the second and third floors of Norwood House. The findings will guide renovations to make Norwood House ADA compliant and more welcoming to everyone interested in participating in their programs and events.
Ontario County: Naples Historical Society, Cleveland House
The front facade of the Ephraim Cleveland House. Photo credit: Trish Lambiase
The Naples Historical Society has been awarded a grant in the amount of $2,685 for a Cleveland House Foundation analysis. The analysis and final report will be conducted by Bero Architecture in Rochester, NY.
“We are delighted to be the recipient of this grant that will guide us in our preservation efforts of the Cleveland House” announced Trish Lambiase, President of the Naples Historical Society.
The Cleveland House in Naples, NY was built by Ephraim Cleveland, a Revolutionary War Captain. It was the first frame structure built after pioneers arrived in this area in 1790. The home remains nearly intact as it was originally built in 1794. On the walls of a second-floor bedchamber is stenciling believed to be done by Naples’s resident Stephen Clark completed around 1828.
The preservation/restoration of the Cleveland House, especially the stenciling in the bedchamber, is of highest priority as buckling in the walls is evident. This foundation assessment will give the historical society needed guidance to establish a budget, timeline and set fund raising goals to stabilize the foundation believed to be contributing to wall buckling.
Orange County: Town of Monroe, Faber Farmhouse
The Town of Monroe has received a grant to fund a Feasibility Reuse Study for the Faber Farmhouse.
Schoharie County: Schoharie Free Library Association
A view of the front facade of the Schoharie Free Library, a yellow Second Empire-style home featuring a front porch and mansard roof. Photo credit: Patricia Clancy
Schoharie Free Library has received a grant to fund a Building Condition Survey.
“The Schoharie Library building is a beautiful home built in 1866,” said Library Director, Yvonne-Keller Baker. “Keeping it beautiful requires constant care and attention. The library board will put this grant towards completing a Building Condition Survey, to be completed in advance of repairing and renovating our front porch. This project will be a multi-step process, beginning this spring with a professional assessment of the needed repairs. We are grateful that these funds will aid us in the preservation of this historic building.”
Suffolk County: Town of Smithtown, Caleb Smith House
A view of the front facade of the Caleb Smith House. Photo credit: Ei Tropea
“On behalf of the town, I’d like to commend the Preservation League of New York for the important work they do in funding projects that protect and preserve historic treasures throughout the state. We are thrilled to be chosen as a 2021 Technical Assistant Grant recipient, for which we will be able to begin the first steps in restoring the iconic Caleb Smith House. Smithtown’s future generations to come will be able to experience the landmark home, thanks to this grant.” – Supervisor Edward R. Wehrheim
An assessment of the present state of the home will permit the Town to undertake appropriate fiscal planning to address building deterioration issues and plan appropriate interventions. It will be broken down by its various components such as masonry, roof, structure and mechanical systems, and include recommendations of how those systems could be improved and the relative costs and priorities of those improvements.
The Town has retained the services of Jan Hird Pikorny, an architectural firm with a strong focus in the historic preservation of significant landmarked buildings, to conduct the building conditions survey.
The Caleb Smith House (circa 1819) was built by Caleb Smith II, a great-great-grandson of Richard “Bull” Smith on land he inherited from his ancestors. The Town took ownership of the home in 1955, when it was moved from its original location on Jericho Turnpike in Commack to its present site at 5 North Country Road in Smithtown, so that it would be preserved for future generations. The house now serves as the Historical Society’s exhibition hall, displaying a large collection of decorative arts, textiles, costumes and documents.
Suffolk County: Council for the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, Inc.
Street view of the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall in Riverhead, NY.
“The Council for the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall is honored to have been awarded the 2021 Technical Assistance Grant (TAG), this will help curate, restore and preserve the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall Historic Building” said Vail-Leavitt Board President Robert Barta. “This is a significant step toward making the Vail a more vital part of Downtown Riverhead’s revitalization.”
Built in 1881, the Council for the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, Inc. (VLMH), is a 501c3 nonprofit charitable corporation. The mission of the organization is to preserve, improve and operate the Music Hall for the educational, cultural, artistic benefit and benevolent improvement of the community at large. The VLMH is listed on national and state historic registries and is the oldest theatrical venue in downstate New York.
A $4,000 Technical Assistance Grant will enable the Council to hire Joel C. Snodgrass, Principal of the Steward Preservation Services LLC., of Huntington to complete a building condition survey of the theater. This report will be the first step in identifying and rehabilitating the necessary architectural and historic structural repairs to continuously improve and enhance the theater as well as support ongoing operations.
Ulster County: Woodstock Artists Association & Museum
The front facade of the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, partially obscured by a blooming magnolia tree. Photo credit: Jeffrey Millstein
Woodstock Artists Association & Museum has received a grant to fund a Building Assessment to specifically address water damage and humidity control in its art storage facility.
“WAAM is truly grateful for this support. An engineer’s report of our art storage facility will give us the information and tools we need to protect our museum quality Permanent Collection of American art from the Woodstock colony,” said Nicole Goldberg, WAAM Executive Director.
Woodstock Artists Association & Museum is located at 28 Tinker Street in the village of Woodstock. Its original building was constructed in 1920 and additions were constructed over the course of the century. Given the age of the structure, there are concerns about moisture and leaks in the building – particularly at the basement level where the art storage vaults are housed. An engineer’s assessment will provide recommendations for proper remediation of these ongoing issues.
Westchester County: Committee to Save the Bird Homestead, Rye Meeting House
Front view of the Rye Meeting House. Photo credit: Aaron Griffiths
The nonprofit Committee to Save the Bird Homestead, known as the Bird Homestead and Meeting House Conservancy, has received a grant to fund an engineering study for the Rye Meeting House.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant,” said Anne Stillman, president of the Bird Homestead and Meeting House Conservancy. “We are very grateful to the Preservation League of NY State.”
Cirrus Structural Engineering will conduct an engineering analysis of the 1877 bell tower of the Rye Meeting House, which is the defining architectural feature of the historic building.