Even small money can make a big difference in small towns. In this session from PastForward 2022, panelists dig into the results of the Northeast Heritage Economy Program (NHEP) grants, administered in 2020-2022. NHEP is a collaborative initiative of the Preservation League of New York State, New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, Maine Preservation, and Preservation Trust of Vermont.
Read MoreIn April, we hosted a virtual Roundtable to discuss Leslie Kern’s book Gentrification is Inevitable and Other Lies. For anyone who missed the conversation, we wanted to share a few key resources mentioned during the Zoom.
Read MoreThe yellow house at the intersection of 9H and NY-66 in the Town of Claverack has stood as a local landmark for over 200 years. When Quinn Levine and Simon Burstall first saw the building in 2020, it had been vacant and on the market for more than six years. The land was thought to be more valuable without the house, and potential buyers wanted to demolish it. Thankfully, the former owner wanted to see the house saved — and Quinn and Simon saw possibility where others saw a liability.
Read MoreThe League was thrilled to receive a record number of applications for the 2023 Zabar Family Scholarship. Established by former League Trustee Lori Zabar, the Zabar Scholarship has been supporting three students every year since 2019. Thanks to an outpouring of support following the passing of Lori Zabar early last year, the League was able to increase this year’s scholarships to $2,500. The three students receiving scholarships this year truly represent the future of our field, and we are honored to support them.
Read MoreThis panel used the iconic Erie Canal as a starting point for a conversation about how organizations can be better about sharing complicated histories, touching on issues related to environmental justice, urban renewal, disinvestment, segregation, and displacement. There is no single narrative about any history or historic place — the realities are often complicated, messy, and worth spending time thinking critically about. History is constantly being written and rewritten and we are all active participants in that process. The panelists also talked about implementation, how we take steps to truly tell a more complete story through our preservation work.
Read MoreJust like we did last year, when NYS announced its Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) grant recipients, we dove in to find League connections. Announced at the end of 2022, the Round XII REDC grants awarded $90 million in funding to 74 projects. Of those, 17 projects receiving grants totaling $8.9 million have also received direct involvement in the form of advocacy, grants, or loans from the Preservation League. When you break down the numbers, these projects were able to leverage every $1 of League funding for $5 from NYS.
Read MoreThe Preservation League was saddened to learn of the loss of the former Kenwood Convent, also known as the former Academy of the Sacred Heart, in Albany. In 2010, shortly after the building was vacated, the League listed the building on our Seven to Save list; our colleagues at the Historic Albany Foundation likewise included it on their Endangered Historic Resources List. This beautiful campus was rich in both history and frustrations: architecturally distinctive, historically fascinating, but subject to a series of failed development projects in recent years. The site was left vacant and vulnerable for over a decade. On March 23, despite the valiant efforts of first responders, it was lost to a terrible fire. Thumbnail image: Jim Franco for the Times Union
Read MoreUnderstanding and Advancing the Preservation Trades provides an overview of the current status of these professions in the Northeast, and offers a wealth of insights from tradespeople, educators, workforce development professionals, and preservation specialists. Together, these perspectives inform a variety of recommended actions suitable for individual practitioners, businesses, nonprofits, training programs, and other stakeholders who aim to strengthen the preservation trades workforce.
Read MoreArete served as Chair of the League’s Board of Trustees from 2009-2012 and continues to be deeply involved in the League’s work to this day. She has served on the statewide Excellence in Historic Preservation Award Jury for three decades, and her steadfast service has helped guide the League to becoming one of the most successful statewide preservation organizations in the nation. Arete is a League champion and exemplifies what it means to be a Pillar of New York.
Read MoreIn this guest blog post, Rob Yasinsac (@hudsonvalleyruins) shines a light on the historic Belden House. The house is not currently listed on the State or National Registers, but it is eligible. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection owns the building and has announced plans to demolish it.
Read MoreIn this Preservation Book Club webinar, Art Historian and Author Kristina Wilson joined us to speak about her book Mid-Century Modernism and the American Body: Race, Gender, and the Politics of Power in Design. A striking counter-narrative to conventional histories of design, this book unveils fresh perspectives on one of the most distinctive movements in American visual culture. Following Kristina's presentation, she was joined in conversation by Sarah Tietje-Mietz, Digital Editor at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.
Read MoreIf you want to know what a professional commitment to preservation looks like, look no further than to John Waite and the firm of John G. Waite Associates, Architects. With offices in Albany and New York City, the team at JGWA provides expert leadership in the preservation and continued use of some of America’s most significant historic buildings.
Read MoreA recap of two days in DC for this year’s Preservation Advocacy Week.
Read MoreLooking for a career that will take you to interesting locations, requires hands-on creativity and problem-solving, and connects you to local history and heritage? Recent research conducted in partnership with the Northeast Regional Initiative for the Preservation Trades indicates that preservation and restoration trades careers can offer exactly these benefits.
Read MoreValerie Jo Bradley is co-founder and President of Save Harlem Now! – an award-winning nonprofit advocacy organization formed to preserve historic buildings and landscapes reflecting important African American history from the late 19th and early 20th century. She is also a 2023 Pillar of New York.
Read MoreThe Preservation League of New York State, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the New York Landmarks Conservancy filed an amicus brief on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, supporting a lawsuit challenging New York State’s proposed demolition of several blocks around Penn Station.
Read MoreThe League’s annual Pillar of New York Awards allows us to recognize those who have demonstrated remarkable commitment to preserving and celebrating New York’s rich history. This year’s honorees are no different. We hope you will join us in the Rainbow Room on April 18 as we celebrate three remarkable preservationists – Arete S. Warren, Valerie Jo Bradley, and John G. Waite Associates, Architects.
Read MoreA recent Hudson Review article draws attention to the unfortunate removal of Richard Lippold’s iconic site-specific sculpture Orpheus and Apollo from the New York Philharmonic’s David Geffen Hall. Working with our colleagues at Landmark West!, the League included Orpheus and Apollo on our 2020-2021 Seven to Save list.
Read MoreIn Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall, author Alexandra Lange chronicles postwar architects' and merchants' invention of the mall, revealing how the design of these marketplaces played an integral role in their cultural ascent. In Lange's perceptive account, the mall becomes newly strange and rich with contradiction: Malls are environments of both freedom and exclusion--of consumerism, but also of community. Meet Me by the Fountain is a highly entertaining and evocative promenade through the mall's story of rise, fall, and ongoing reinvention, for readers of any generation.
Read MoreThe Preservation League of New York State and our program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2022 Technical Assistance Grants. During this grant cycle, 19 projects representing 14 counties across the state have been selected by an independent panel of preservation professionals. A total of $68,130 was awarded.
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