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2005 Grant
Recipients
A Grant Program of the Preservation League of New York State and the New York State Council on the Arts
At its August meeting, the Preserve New York Grant Program
panel selected 16 projects in 12 counties for support totaling
$76,600. Preserve New York is a partnership grant program of
the Preservation League of New York State and the Architecture,
Planning and Design Program of the New York State Council on
the Arts.
To date, the program has provided over $1,000,000
to 176 not-for-profit groups and municipalities in support
of their important local initiatives.
The organizations and
municipalities receiving grant awards in 2005 are: |
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BROOME COUNTY
West Side Neighborhood Association,
Binghamton
Grant of $6,500 toward the cost of preparing a nomination
to the State and National Registers of Historic Places for a proposed
historic district in Binghamton’s West Side neighborhood. The
district will include over 700 properties exemplifying a rich mix of
late 19th and early 20th century architectural styles executed by
some of the city’s leading architects. Much of the area is part
of the historic Abel Bennet Location, a farm estate of the city’s
first mayor. The nomination will be completed by consultant Mary Joan
Kevlin of Norwich, Connecticut, who spent several semesters in Binghamton
while teaching a survey course at Cornell University’s preservation
program.
ERIE COUNTY
Roycroft Campus Corporation, East Aurora
Grant of $5,000 toward the
cost of preparing a historic structure report for the Copper Shop of
the Roycroft Campus, a National Historic Landmark. The 14 remaining
buildings and structures of the campus are the physical embodiment
of the artistic community founded in 1895 by author and entrepreneur
Elbert Hubbard. Inspired by the English Arts and Crafts movement, Roycroft
remains the best preserved and most complete complex of buildings in
the United States exemplifying the “guilds” that
evolved as centers of craftsmanship and philosophy. The Copper Shop
was built in 1902 as a blacksmith shop by the Roycrofters themselves
according to Hubbard’s instructions. The building was enlarged
in 1910 and again in 1918 when it became the copper goods production
facility of the arts community. The report will be prepared by Hamilton
Houston Lownie Architects of Buffalo and will guide critically needed
structural repairs and a restoration program for the vacant building
so that it can serve as a visitors center, artisan workshop and the
organization’s offices.
HERKIMER COUNTY
Friends of Historic
Herkimer County, Herkimer
Grant of $7,000 toward the cost of preparing
a historic structure report for the 1834 Herkimer County Jail, a National
Register listed building which was included in the Preservation League’s
2005 Seven to Save endangered properties list. An excellent example
of Federal style civic architecture and constructed of local limestone,
the building may be best known as the jail that in 1906 held Chester
Gillette, who has been accused of a sensational murder. Gillette’s
story became the basis for Theodore Dreiser’s novel An American
Tragedy. The jail closed in 1977 and has received minimal care since
2000. The report, to be completed by Crawford and Stearns, Preservation
Planners and Architects of Syracuse, will provide a much needed rehabilitation
plan to allow the building to reopen for museum and office functions.
JEFFERSON
COUNTY
Sackets Harbor Area Cultural Preservation Foundation,
Sackets
Harbor
Grant of $4,000 toward the cost of completing a historic structure
report for the 1839 Stone Hospital at Madison Barracks, an Army post
begun in 1817 but whose origins relate to the War of 1812. The handsome
limestone building was one of the first permanent US Army hospitals
in the nation. Abandoned after WWII, the former hospital has suffered
significant deterioration, due in part to its location of the Lake
Ontario shore. The report will guide its proposed reuse as a military
heritage center with office and community meeting spaces. Holmes King
Kallquist and Associates of Syracuse, who have already completed structural
stabilization plans for the hospital, will prepare the report.
KINGS
COUNTY
Society for Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Historic Fort Greene Association,
Brooklyn The grants of $3,000 to the Society of Clinton Hill and $4,000
to the Historic Fort Greene Association will go toward funding survey
work in both neighborhoods to be conducted by architectural historian
Andrew Dolkart of New York City. The two neighborhood organizations
are working together on initiatives that will provide increased review
and protection of historic resources which are threatened by development
pressures in Brooklyn. The survey will update documentation done
in the 1980s and support efforts to expand New York City-designated
historic districts so that the boundaries align with the areas designated
as State and National Register historic districts. Residential
and commercial property owners have seen the positive impact that local
historic district designation has had on the stability and improvement
of the area over the last twenty years, and are interested in extending
increased protection to additional blocks.
Green-Wood Historic
Fund, Green Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Grant of $3,000 will support the
preparation of a nomination for National Historic Landmark designation
for the cemetery which was established in 1838 as the third rural cemetery
in the US. The 478-acre cemetery is the burial site of an extraordinary
number of historical figures and contains many monuments designed by
well-known sculptors and architects. Over the past few years
the organization has worked to increase public access by scheduling
longer visiting hours and offering a variety of programs including
classes for schools which focus on natural history, science, art and
local and national history. Staff is also working to establish
portions of the cemetery as Audubon sanctuary areas by taking various
measures to attract waterfowl. A number of monuments and structures
have also been restored. Green-Wood Cemetery is listed on the
State and National Registers of Historic Places. Designation
as a National Historic Landmark will help attract other resources for
the preservation of the cemetery. The consultant for the project
is Marian Pressley, of Pressley Associates, Inc., located in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
NASSAU COUNTY
Nassau County Department of Parks,
Recreation
and Museums, Syosset
Grant of $7,500 toward the cost of preparing a
cultural landscape report for the 15 designed acres of the former estate, “Muttontown
Meadows” in the Village of Muttontown. The main house, Nassau
Hall, was built in 1904 and is believed to be the first country house
commission of the architectural firm Delano and Aldrich. The grounds
are attributed to the firm and were created between 1904 and 1914.
Elmore Design Collaborative of Springfield, Massachusetts, will complete
the report, which will guide the restoration of formal gardens and
ornamental features of this actively used county park.
NEW YORK
COUNTY
Harlem Preservation Foundation, Harlem
Grant of $4,000 will
support reconnaissance-level survey work that will update work carried
out in 1985 to identify and prioritize historic resources that should
be designated as local landmarks. The consultant is Eugene Norman,
former chairman of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The survey area is focused on the Central Harlem “valley” between
110th-125 Streets from north to south and Park Avenue to Morningside/Manhattan
Avenue from east to west. Mr. Norman noted that his work will
be conducted in an entirely different economic setting from that of
1985 since it was almost impossible to get loans for projects 20 years
ago. The current re-development boom has increased the threat
to historic resources and made residents more aware of the need to
protect the architecture of Harlem. The Preservation League has
worked with the Harlem Preservation Foundation in selecting the Church
of St. Thomas for the Seven to Save Endangered Properties list for
2005. This project will build on the increased neighborhood visibility
created by the advocacy for St. Thomas.
ORANGE COUNTY
Constitution Island Association, Constitution Island,
West Point
Grant of $3,000 toward an archaeological survey of portions
of Constitution Island. The Island played a major role in the
Revolutionary War as the anchor point of the legendary chain that was
stretched across the Hudson River to what is now from West Point in
order to prevent the British from traveling up the river. Fortifications
and barracks on the Island pre-date the military use of West Point.
Through identification of the location and extent of Native American
and Revolutionary War resources, the project will allow the Military
Academy and the Constitution Island Association to plan for the protection
and management of the cultural resources. The survey will be conducted
by Alexander Archaeological Consultants from Wildwood, Georgia, who
have completed earlier studies of the site.
Town of Montgomery
Grant of $6,800 will
support documentation of individual sites identified as being most
intact and vulnerable in a recently-completed reconnaissance-level
cultural resource inventory of historic farmsteads. The work
follows the revision of the Town’s comprehensive plan, and will
serve as a planning tool to address increasing development pressures.
Survey results will inform the work of the Historical Commission and
Planning Board in their project reviews and will also be used to nominate
the farms as landmarks. While many communities have used open space
protection programs to save agricultural land, the Town of Montgomery
is using historic preservation to designate and preserve properties
according to the integrity of the architecture and landscape. The
consultant is Neil Larson of Larson & Fischer Associates based
in Woodstock.
OTSEGO COUNTY
Fly Creek Area Historical Society,
Fly Creek
Grant of $2,300 toward the cost of preparing a State and
National Register of Historic Places nomination for approximately 100
late 18th to mid-19th century properties in the historic mill hamlet
of Fly Creek near Cooperstown. The project is supported by Preservation
Colleague group Otsego 2000 and will be completed by Jessie Ravage,
Historical Research and Writing, of Cooperstown, New York. Its
findings and the landmark designation itself will be especially important
in addressing potential impacts of proposed Department of Transportation
road work along NYS Route 28, the hamlet’s main thoroughfare.
SENECA
COUNTY
Seneca County Historian’s Office, Waterloo
Grant
of $7,000 toward the cost of completing a cultural resources survey
of properties associated with Abolitionism and African American life
between 1820 and 1880 in Seneca County. The survey will identify the
homes, churches, business places and other sites significant to the
lives of freedom seekers and their sympathizers throughout the county.
The research will be completed by Judith Wellman, Historical New York
Research Association of Fulton, and the results will be used for planning,
heritage tourism activities and landmark designations. This project
is the fourth countywide survey associated with the nationally significant
themes of Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad supported by the
Preservation League.
ULSTER COUNTY
Village of Ellenville
Grant of
$7,500 toward the production of an historic structure report for the
Hunt Memorial Building which will document alterations made over time,
assess building conditions and outline possible adaptive uses. Preserving
and listing the Hunt Building on the State and National Register of
Historic Places was the first preservation advocacy work undertaken
by local residents. Their efforts to save the 1915, Classical Revival-style
building were inspired by the campaign to save the Dutch Reformed Church
in Newburgh, a project which received assistance from the Preserve
New York Grant Program in 2002. Over the past five or more years, the
Village of Ellenville has participated in and initiated a number of
projects which are aimed at assessing and capitalizing on local resources.
A new use for the Hunt Memorial Building will contribute significantly
to the overall improvement of Ellenville’s business district.
The report will be produced by Marilyn Kaplan, principal of Preservation
Architecture in Albany.
Stone Ridge Library, Stone Ridge
Grant of $4,000
will partially support an historic structure report which is an important
aspect of strategic planning work currently underway. The Stone
Ridge Library consists of two 18th-century stone houses located in
the Stone Ridge Historic District. As with many historic libraries,
issues include: the
best use of existing space, structural issues; an electrical system
that needs updating to accommodate 21st century technology, and additional
space needed for public programs and a growing need for storage. The
report will provide the board of trustees with an overall understanding
of the needs of the buildings and assist with the identification of
priorities. The work supports the Preservation League’s
interest in maintaining municipal functions on main streets, and the
site is one of many libraries facing the challenge of meeting modern
needs in historic facilities. Historic Preservation consultant
Melissa Thompson of St. Remy, New York will produce the report.
WESTCHESTER
COUNTY
Town of Cortlandt, Cortlandt Manor
Grant of $2,000 toward the
cost of completing a survey of the local historic and rural roads throughout
the Town of Cortlandt. The survey, which supports the Preservation
League’s Public Policy work on transportation issues, will document
the built and natural features of approximately 22 miles of roadways
which are characterized by stone walls, mature trees, narrow widths,
and one 1897 metal truss bridge. The project will be prepared by Larson & Fisher
Associates of Woodstock. The results will advance the town’s
strategies to protect its scenic and rural qualities in the face of
development pressures.
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For more information or to discuss your proposal,
please contact the Leagues’s regional directors of Technical
and Grant Programs:
Eastern New York, including NYC and
Long Island - Erin
Tobin - 518-462-5658 x12
Central and Western
New York, including Southern Tier - Tania
Werbizky - 607-272-6510 (Ithaca) |
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