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Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga
County
landmark status: Local, State/National Registers
threat: Potential unsympathetic modernization; impact of change in ownership
unclear
The Saratoga Race Course, the oldest continuously-operating
thoroughbred racetrack in the country (1863 1st organized Thoroughbred
race), has a wealth of Victorian structures, including the turreted
grandstand, and many horse barns dating from 1864. The Race Course
holds world-famous stakes races, including the annual Travers stakes
since 1864. Many significant families have connections with the
Saratoga Race Course, such as the Vanderbilts, Whitneys, and Astors.
The Race Course includes 350 acres, 3 tracks, and over 200 structures.
Over the years, new buildings have been designed to carefully complement
existing structures.
After 50 years under the same management,
control of the facilities may change hands, leading to uncertainty
over the future of the Race Course’s historic buildings and
setting. The essential character of the Saratoga Race Course lays
in the composite of historic buildings, landscape, and traditions.
Without detailed and sensitive design guidelines and a comprehensive
plan, this character is threatened with incremental degradation.
The Churchill Downs modernization and expansion serves as a warning
of what can happen to an architectural icon without safeguards
in place.
objectives: The Preservation League joins the Saratoga
Springs Preservation Foundation in calling for a comprehensive
plan and design guidelines that will thoughtfully guide any changes
to the historic Race Course as part of a four-pronged approach:
Inventory – need
for complete, updated historic resources inventory that includes
building condition;
Protection – include
all buildings and landscape features of the Saratoga Race Course
into the local Union Avenue Historic District;
Planning – comprehensive
facilities management plan with design guidelines; and
Oversight
with local representation – establish
a formal oversight process including state and municipal representatives.
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