The Land Protector Project 2024

Thanks to a Capacity & Regrowth grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, we were able to commission artists to design a creative intervention for each of the Seven to Save in an effort to draw community attention to these endangered places. In thinking about how to use artwork to celebrate and draw attention to Genesee Valley Park, it seemed only fitting to invite someone connected to the University of Rochester to be involved. Associate Professor of Art Heather Layton answered the call and crafted a multidisciplinary, student-led project. Working closely with our colleagues at the Rochester Olmsted Parks Alliance, 11 current students created work inspired by the Park.

PLNYS in the CommunityKaty PeaceFebruary 6, 2024STS Artist Interventions, 2022-2023 STS

Introducing the Preservation Opportunity Fund

The Preservation League of New York State is thrilled to be starting its 50th Anniversary year with a brand-new grant opportunity for New York nonprofits. Organizations with an ownership interest in, or a long-term lease of, a historic property requiring preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation, are invited to apply for the inaugural year of funding for the League’s new capital grant program.

GrantsKaty PeaceFebruary 1, 2024Press Release, 50th anniversary

50th Anniversary Artwork

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.

Katy PeaceFebruary 1, 202450th anniversary

Technical Assistance Grants - 2023

The Preservation League of New York State and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts are thrilled to announce the recipients of their 2023 Technical Assistance Grants. During this grant cycle, 19 projects representing 13 counties across the state have been selected by an independent panel of preservation professionals. A total of $66,576 was awarded.

GrantsKaty PeaceJanuary 22, 2024Press Release, TAG

Voices of Preservation: Urban Renewal and Historic Preservation in Newburgh

In this guest blog post from the team behind the Picturing Urban Renewal project, Ann Pfau, David, Hochfelder, and Stacy Sewell look at the legacy of urban renewal in Newburgh, NY. The Picturing Urban Renewal website has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. They post research findings on Substack at Researching Urban Renewal.

Voices of PreservationPicturing Urban RenewalJanuary 18, 2024urban renewal, Newburgh

Thomas Memorial AME Zion Church to Receive $100,000 From African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

With the official public announcement of the 2024 Preserving Black Churches Grants on January 15, the Friends of Thomas Memorial are proud to share that Thomas Memorial AME Zion Church has received $100,000 in funding from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Far from Golden: Hochul’s Silence on Penn Station in her State of the State Address

This photo essay has been cross-posted and lightly condensed from our colleagues at RethinkPennStationNYC. The League has been collaborating with local advocates to speak out against redevelopment plans that include widespread demolition of buildings surrounding Penn Station since including the Penn Neighborhood on the 2022-2023 Seven to Save list. ReThinkPennStationNYC is proud to be a founding member of the Empire Station Coalition, which is a collection of more than 15 neighborhood and block associations, think tanks and civic organizations advocating for real and equitable solutions at Penn Station. The Empire Station Coalition shares these same values and is doing much to keep this debate open and before the public.

Voices of PreservationEmpire Station CoalitionJanuary 12, 2024Penn Neighborhood, 2022-2023 STS

Bricks and Beliefs: Preservation of Tangible and Intangible Heritage in the Ukrainian Village in New York City

In this guest blog post, Preservation Consultant Andrew Roblee shines a light on a historic space providing much-needed social services to Ukrainian refugees in the East Village of Manhattan. The First Ukrainian Assembly of God has called its 1867 Second Empire building home since 1937. In recent years, the building’s exterior has suffered from deferred maintenance that the congregation is committed to addressing. But while they tackle their preservation projects, they are also proving essential services and a community gathering place to both longtime congregants and recent refugees who have fled Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Voices of PreservationAndrew RobleeJanuary 11, 2024NYC, Sacred Sites

Introducing the 2024 Pillars of New York

The League’s annual Pillar of New York Awards allows us to recognize those who have demonstrated remarkable commitment to preserving and celebrating New York State’s rich history. This year’s honorees are no different. We hope you will join us in the Rainbow Room on March 14 as we celebrate four remarkable preservationists – Peggy King Jorde, Richard J. Moylan, and Melissa Auf der Maur & Tony Stone.

PLNYS StaffJanuary 2, 2024Pillar Gala, Press Release, 50th anniversary

Documenting the Architecture South of Union Square

As part of our Seven to Save artist interventions, the League commissioned photographer Dylan Chandler to document some of the incredible architecture you will find in the neighborhood South of Union Square. This project was commissioned by the Preservation League of NYS in partnership with Village Preservation thanks to a Capacity & Regrowth grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. Through that grant, the League is using art to draw attention to its 2022-2023 Seven to Save endangered historic sites across the state.

Cheap Old Houses Book Talk with Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein

The League was thrilled to host Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein for a Preservation Book Club author talk in support of their new book Cheap Old Houses: An Unconventional Guide to Loving and Restoring a Forgotten Home. In this webinar, they discuss the process of putting the book together and the importance of everyday old home stewardship.

Preservation Book ClubKaty PeaceDecember 12, 2023

Preservation League of NYS Received Funding for 2024 From the New York State Council on the Arts

Grants from NYSCA will fund Preserve New York and Technical Assistance Grants and provide general operating support for the League in 2024.

GrantsPLNYS StaffDecember 7, 2023NYSCA, Press Release

2023 Excellence Awards Event Recap

Earlier this week, we celebrated our 2023 Excellence in Historic Preservation Awardees with our first in-person Awards ceremony since 2019. It was a sold out crowd, with winners coming from all over the state and other supporters joining us to honor their great work. As League President Jay DiLorenzo said during his opening remarks, winners of the Excellence Award always inspire us — and I think everyone left Monday night’s event feeling that same inspiration.

Excellence Awards, League EventsKaty PeaceDecember 6, 20232023 Excellence Awards

A Letter From Jay and a Look at Thomas Memorial

Do you wonder how the League uses your generous donations, and why your gifts are so vital? I want to share an example of how your contributions are making a difference, and how your continued support will propel even more projects like it.

Jay DiLorenzoDecember 6, 2023Fundraising

Excellence Award Spotlight: Pier 57

Beginning with the listing of the pier on the State and National Register of Historic Place in 2004, through the completion of construction in 2022, the rebirth and reimagining of Pier 57 is the result of a partnership between the Hudson River Park Trust, RXR, Young Woo & Associates, and the pier's tenants, Google, City Winery, Jamestown, and the James Beard Foundation. Together, this group along with their consultants, blended long-term stewardship, sensitive restoration treatments, and design excellence to arrive at an adaptive reuse project that integrates the pier into Hudson River Park and includes a new public rooftop park, commercial office space, a performance venue, a food market, and environmental tech classrooms and community spaces.

Katy PeaceDecember 1, 20232023 Excellence Awards

Excellence Award Spotlight: Nash Lofts

Let’s take a look at the anatomy of an Excellence Award-winning project. The Nash Lofts in Buffalo was treated as a single rehabilitation project, but the building is actually comprised of 4 separate structures that were cobbled together over the years. Years of vacancy and damage made this a difficult project — the complicated nature of the building made it even more so. The team who decided to tackle the project did a remarkable job bringing this anchor property back to active use.

Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceNovember 29, 2023Buffalo, 2023 Excellence Awards, adaptive reuse

2023 Holiday Gift Guide

We love reading gift guides and we love making gift guides. So, here we are again with a brand new list for the 2023 holiday season. No spon-con, just fun. Read through for a few ideas for the preservation people in your life. And in addition to the fun stuff we’ve rounded up, don’t forget to support your local small businesses, museums, historical societies, and other nonprofits (maybe even gift a membership to the League??). Your support really does make a difference, especially during this time of year. Happy holiday shopping!

Katy PeaceNovember 20, 2023Gift Guide

Excellence Award Spotlight: Bent's Opera House

Bent’s is an anchor building in the Village of Medina’s Main Street Historic District. By 2010, the performance space had not been used for decades and the building was fully vacant and in imminent danger of collapsing. In 2016, local developer Roger Hungerford’s Talis Equity purchased the property from the nonprofit Orleans Renaissance Group Inc. Hungerford, who had grown up in Medina, had a vision to give Bent's new life.

Erie Canal, Excellence AwardsKaty PeaceNovember 13, 2023Opera Houses, 2023 Excellence Awards

Excellence Award Spotlight: Bridge to Crafts Careers

“I’m very proud that the League has selected to honor Bridge to Crafts Careers with the Excellence in Historic Preservation Award,” said Ann Cuss, Regional Director of North America at World Monuments Fund (WMF), who oversees the program. “B2CC offers something incredibly unique and valuable: a paid opportunity for young people to get hands-on experience in craft skills. This award is a testament to the hard work of our partners and interns over the years.”

Excellence Award Spotlight: Kingston City Land Bank

In 2018, the Kingston City Land Bank was formed to return long-vacant tax-foreclosed properties to the tax rolls. In a city with a relatively low foreclosure rate, rising property values, and a pressing need for affordable housing, rehabbing single-family homes into affordable first-time homeownership opportunities quickly became a top priority. Through their focus on preserving and restoring rather than modernizing and flipping, the KCLB has been creating a new model for how affordable housing can be produced and what it looks like. Their mission is to foster an equitable community where vacant or distressed properties are transformed into community assets that improve the quality of life for Kingston residents, stabilize and enhance neighborhoods, and create new pathways for social and economic development. The League was thrilled to recognize their work this year with an Excellence in Historic Preservation Award, and wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about what makes their model so successful. Board Chair Daniel Kanter (and resident interior designer!) was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

Notes From the Field

Info

Action

Celebrating 50 years // 1974-2024