In thinking about all the ways we might mark our 50th Anniversary this year, we knew we wanted to work with a local artist to create something for the occasion. Albany-based illustrator Cara Hanley came immediately to mind. But how can you distill 50 years of work into a single graphic, especially covering an area as large as New York State? You can’t! But we wanted to take inspiration from some of the incredible places we’ve been lucky enough to work with over the years, representing iconic building types — an Adirondack Great Camp, rowhouses, a church, a barn — to get a feel for the kind of historic places that make up the fabric of NYS. We had no shortage of ideas to pull from, but here’s a breakdown of the real places Cara was inspired by in her final illustration.

*Photo credit: Dominique Sindayiganza courtesy of AND*

East Harlem

Through our New York State Council on the Arts partnership Preserve New York grant program, the League has funded several Cultural Resource Surveys of East Harlem. In 2016, a grant to CIVITAS Citizens Inc. funded a survey of East Harlem’s Pleasant Avenue Neighborhood. Beginning in 2019, grants made to Ascendant Neighborhood Development Corp. allowed them to survey the entirety of East Harlem, including East-Central Harlem (2019), Southern East Harlem (2021), and Northern East Harlem (2022). The survey that resulted from their 2021 grant earned them and consultant Marissa Marvelli an Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the League in 2022. Click here to learn more about the East Harlem South / El Barrio Reconnaissance-Level Historic Resource Survey.

Newburgh’s Dutch Reformed Church

The Dutch Reformed Church was included on the League’s 2016-2017 Seven to Save list. It was built in 1835 to the design of Alexander Jackson Davis, and occupies a prominent point overlooking the Hudson River in Newburgh. It is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, as well as being a designated National Historic Landmark. In 1999, after over 30 years of vacancy and extreme deterioration, the church was recognized as one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture with a Save America’s Treasures grant. In 2002, the League partially funded the first phase of a historic structure report by Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker through the Preserve New York grant program. In 2006, the World Monuments Fund placed the church on its “Watch List.”

Since that time, the structure has continued to deteriorate despite stabilization efforts and numerous grants secured for additional work. In 2012, the sanctuary ceiling collapsed, crushing the pews inside. At present, debris from the collapse still remains in place and the overall condition of the building is worsening. More recently, asbestos was discovered in the structure, requiring additional costly interventions. There is currently no reuse plans for the iconic building, but the League continues to engage local stakeholders in hopes that the Dutch Reformed Church might still be saved.

Thousand Islands

Thousand Island Park is a charming community in Jefferson County with 350 cottages, five public buildings (a Tabernacle, library, hotel, pavilion, and chapel) and public green space on the St. Lawrence River. The park is rooted in the revival meetings of the Second Great Awakening and was founded by Methodists in 1875. Five late 19th and early 20th century cottage architectural styles (one particularly delightful example is pictured here) are prevalent in the park, and while much of the architecture and community has been maintained, fire is a constant threat and has destroyed several important resources. The Thousand Island Park Landmark Society first surveyed and documented the community in 1982 resulting in listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. A NYSCA-funded Preserve New York grant in 2018 allowed the Society to survey additional resources that would be eligible for inclusion in the historic district and complete an updated State and National Register of Historic Places designation.

Great Camp Sagamore

The League’s involvement with Great Camp Sagamore goes all the way back to our founding. Advocating for the protection of Sagamore was one of the first major campaigns the newly formed Preservation League tackled in the 1970s. The Great Camp was built by William West Durant between 1897 and 1901 on Raquette Lake and represents one of the most iconic examples of Adirondack architecture. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation had intended to buy the camp and 1,500 surrounding acres, but the state was then mandating that buildings on land acquired for Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves be demolished. In 1975 a special property transfer enabled ownership of Sagamore to pass through the Preservation League just long enough to insert covenants in the deed to ensure the long-term care of the Guest Complex buildings. Following these initial advocacy efforts, the League organized the Coalition to Save Camp Sagamore in 1982, which was made up of more than 70 national, state, and local preservation and civic organizations to advance statewide legislation to protect the historic farm buildings on Sagamore’s campus from loss. These original support buildings were imperiled by a strict interpretation of the Forest Preserve provision in the state constitution known as the Forever Wild Clause. Once the bill was passed by two consecutively elected state legislatures, the Coalition led a large-scale campaign that convinced 63% of the state’s voters to approve the Sagamore Land Exchange. The state of New York granted the Sagamore Institute, owner of the Great Camp, the 10 acres containing the 11 outbuildings in exchange for 200 acres of undeveloped Institute land.

The Schoharie Creek Aqueduct

The Enlarged Schoharie Aqueduct is located at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, Montgomery County. A National Historic Landmark and part of the New York State Barge Canal Historic District, the Schoharie Aqueduct carried the Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek. Construction of the aqueduct began in 1839 and it was placed into service in 1845, with additional alterations in 1855 and 1873. As the canal was rerouted, the Schoharie Aqueduct was no longer needed and fell into disrepair. The League included the Aqueduct on our 2018-2019 Seven to Save list and worked closely with stakeholders to push for its stabilization. We were thrilled when the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced the successful completion of at $1.7 million stabilization in July 2023.

Clinton Avenue Rowhouses, Albany

In 2021, the League recognized Home Leasing with an Excellence in Historic Preservation Award for their rehabilitation of 70 historic rowhouses spread across a one-mile span in the Clinton Avenue and Arbor Hill Historic Districts in Albany. The development includes 3 studios, 123 one-bedrooms, 68 two-bedrooms, and 16 three-bedrooms – a total of 210 apartments. The apartments provide housing for households who earn from 50%-90% of the area median income, providing much-needed affordable housing in the city of Albany. Supportive housing has also been included, with 40 units reserved in partnership with DePaul, who provides services under contract with the Office of Mental Health. The project includes six commercial spaces that will be utilized as the community’s leasing offices, a re-opened laundry facility, a barber shop, DePaul offices, and maintenance offices. When Home Leasing acquired the portfolio of properties in 2017, it was in foreclosure with eight buildings condemned and more than half the units vacant. It was a tremendous undertaking bringing these buildings back to life. The Clinton Avenue apartments are a prime example of how preservation can be a powerful tool to support affordable housing initiatives.

Cropsey Farm Barn

Barns are a threatened building type across New York State. With small-scale and family farms being threatened by industrial farming and suburban sprawl, New York’s deeply rooted agricultural heritage is being lost every day. The League has focused on barns in our programming and advocacy for many years, including providing a loan to protect a historic cider mill, advocating for the preservation of Wells Barns through a Seven to Save listing, funding surveys of agricultural buildings in preparation for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and successfully advocating for the reintroduction of a barn tax credit. The successful restoration of the Cropsey Farm Barn in New City provides proof that these historic structures can be saved and continue to serve agricultural purposes in the 21st century — and earned an Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the League in 2020.

In 2006, Rockland County partnered with the Town of Clarkstown to take ownership of the Cropsey property, with the county owning 61% and the Town owning 31%. Their goal was to preserve the property as open space and once again use it for agricultural purposes. Along with the local Community Supported Agriculture association, they set out to save the 223-year-old Dutch barn, despite challenges that may have otherwise led to demolition.

James Johnson Mushroom House

Rochester architect James H. Johnson was best known for his boundary-pushing midcentury modern designs that defied traditional conventions of structure and architectural form. His most daring works were completed between 1963 and 1973 and include religious sanctuaries, local monuments, regional libraries and dozens of residential structures — including the very unique Mushroom House pictured here. Johnson passed away in February 2016, bringing local attention to his lasting impact on the Rochester region. A Preserve New York grant made to the Greece Historical Society in 2016 supported a cultural resource survey of existing James Johnson buildings. Bero Architecture PLLC of Rochester completed the multi property documentation project, with the goal of potentially listing Johnson’s buildings to the State and National Registers.

The High Line

One of the most well known examples of historic preservation, the High Line’s successful adaptive reuse has provided a model for similar preservation efforts across the country. Although now it is an intrinsic part of Manhattan’s west side, when the League included the High Line on our 2001 Seven to Save list it was under threat of demolition. The High Line was built in the 1930s as an elevated steel railway structure for freight trains to safely bring goods into Manhattan. It is a remarkable piece of transportation-related infrastructure. As trucking gained popularity, the High Line was abandoned; its last train made a delivery in 1980. As we wrote back in 2001, “A group called the Friends of the High Line is working to save the historic elevated railway from demolition. As a public open space, the line would add much-needed parkland to Manhattan, and connect three vibrant communities. It could also provide arts-related uses and strengthen the area’s international reputation as a center of the art world. If the High Line is demolished, these possibilities vanish forever.” Thankfully, the campaign to save the High Line was successful and the Friends of the High Line are still stewarding the 1.45-mile park, from 34th Street, along the edge of the Hudson River, through the West Chelsea neighborhood and into the heart of the Gansevoort Market Meat Packing District.

50th Anniversary Artwork