History on the Water
For the 25th Anniversary of our flagship Seven to Save program, we wanted to look back with a thematic retrospective – highlighting seven themes we’ve seen pop up in our listings over the past 25 years. Over the course of the year, we’ll be digging into our STS archive to highlight places across the state that help tell a broader story of preservation in New York.
In many ways, New York is defined by its relationship to water. New York City and Long Island are surrounded by it. The Hudson River shoots north all the way into the Adirondacks. The Finger Lakes are home to picturesque landscapes and thriving communities. Lakes Ontario and Erie form our western border. And of course, the Erie Canal is the reason New York is called the Empire State. Our coastal, river-, lake-, and canal-side communities are rich in history. But being on the water can also put historic structures at risk – from natural erosion and increased flooding caused by climate change to development pressure caused by increased real estate value.
Garner Arts Center seen after having suffered damage by Hurricane Irene. Photo by Frank Vitale.
Garner Arts Center hosting an outdoor screening.
A particularly striking Seven to Save success story is the Garnerville Arts Center in Rockland County. The site was included on the 2012-2013 Seven to Save list after it suffered catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Irene. The Garner Print Works was established in the 19th century, situated on the Minisceongo Creek less than two miles west of the Hudson River. The mill, which today contains 27 buildings spread across about 365,000 square feet of space, was a major employer for the region. The mill and its supporting buildings were built where they were because of the water access. But that is also what put the site at risk over 100 years later.
I cannot say enough good things about the Preservation League and its helpful staff and leadership. Our Seven to Save designation came at a dark time in our company history after Hurricane Irene caused devastating damage to our 14 acre, then-175 year old former mill complex. The Preservation League and Seven to Save program critically underscored for us that our property was worthy of our continued attention and preservation. Today, we are listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places thanks to a Preservation League grant award. Our site serves as a vital local business hub and regional tourism draw, with a restored art gallery, craft brewery, award-winning restaurant, ballet school and training gym, offices, artist and artisan workshops, and other light manufacturers. None of this would have been possible without the support, grants, and stewardship of the Preservation League.
Robin E. Rosenberg, President, GARNER Historic District of New York
A street in the Stockade pictured during a flood. The water is seen reaching about halfway up the first floor of the historic houses pictured. Other historic homes from the neighborhood seen below without flooding.
The 2016 listing of Schenectady’s Stockade Historic District speaks to this risk as well — a neighborhood whose history is inextricably linked to the Mohawk River is now threatened by extreme flooding from that river. As we wrote at the time, “This designation would foster resilience in New York’s river and coastal communities by promoting FEMA guidelines and the hardening of residences and commercial properties to mitigate the damage caused by flooding. The Stockade represents a unique opportunity to develop educational programming, workshops, and technical briefs on best practices for communities affected by flooding.” In 2017, the League was part of a steering committee with the City of Schenectady that resulted in Flood Mitigation Design Guidelines for the district. The League continues to seek out ways to support places most at risk, both in terms of resiliency and disaster preparedness and encouraging more sustainable practices to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
For several of our past Seven to Saves on the water, their existence and relationship to their local waterways help tell the story of New York more broadly. The Historic South Street Seaport, for example, is a reminder of how New York City began as a harbor town supporting international trade. The 1907 Tin Building and 1939 New Market Building that the League called out with our 2009 designation were reminders of how this history evolved into the 20th century, specifically relating to New York’s famous Fulton Fish Market. After years of disrepair, both buildings and the piers underneath were in serious states of disrepair. This would worsen just a few years later when Hurricane Sandy caused damage throughout the City in 2012. At the time, demolition of the National Register-eligible New Market Building was proposed to construct a massive skyscraper. Thanks to local advocates, that development did not come to pass, but the building was eventually demolished anyway (Pier 17 has taken its place). The Tin Building fared better, being disassembled and reconstructed about 30 feet east of its original site. For our Seven to Save designation, we wrote that, “This site illustrates the need for careful planning along and stewardship of New York State’s waterfront, especially within historic districts.” When developers and property owners eye waterfront communities and see opportunities for large profits, historic communities risk losing the character that made them desirable places to live, work, and visit in the first place.
Boom Go the Fireworks (Lockport) photo by Jeff Tracy, Lockport, NY. This photo was an honorable mention in the Erie Canalway’s annual 2024 Photo Contest.
The League’s inclusion of the NYS Barge Canal System in 2020 spoke directly to the importance of preserving and promoting the assets that make our waterside communities so special, including the Canal itself. As of our listing in 2020, more than 70% of upstate New York’s population lived within 25 miles of the Erie Canal. The NYS Canal System is part of the economic and social fabric of communities from Buffalo to Albany along the Erie Canal, from Waterford to Whitehall on the Champlain Canal, from Syracuse to Oswego on the Oswego Canal, and from Seneca Falls to Geneva on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor encompasses 4,834 square miles in 23 counties and is home to 3.2 million people. The canals connected New York State to the rest of the country. Its status as a fully navigable waterway is essential to its historic context — a feature that makes it a draw for visitors from around the world. Our Seven to Save designation highlighted the need for New York State to prioritize stewardship of the NYS Canal System as an intact, fully-navigable international waterway for present and future generations. Sustaining this historic resource in turn sustains the historic canal communities along the way. Bringing attention and tourism to small communities along the canals is vitally important for their economies. According to the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, Canal-related events and tours have a $1.3 billion economic impact each year. The Office of the NYS Comptroller reports that roughly 1.6 million people visit the Canal each year. With the Erie Canal’s Bicentennial just around the corner in 2025, this Seven to Save site is a reminder that our history is directly linked to our future.