Reaping Rewards for Preservation

Albany, N.Y.—Designers dedicated to preservation in New York State are getting their due. The Preservation League of New York State is honoring 12 people, projects, and organizations for their dedication to and accomplishments in preserving, restoring, and revitalizing historic buildings and communities. The Preservation League Statewide Awards Program is funded by a grant from the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation of Miami. "This year's recipients have been recognized for work that has spurred economic development, increased heritage awareness and tourism, revitalized communities, and helped the beauty of New York's rich architectural and cultural heritage," says Scott Heyl, president of the Preservation League.

Winning projects include: The Brighter Choice Charter School restored by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, Architecture & Engineering; the restoration of the skylight and laylight at the New York State Capitol; the renovation of the Rensselaer County Court facilities by John G. Waite Associates, Architects; the restoration of the King's Garden at Fort Ticonderoga; Page Ayres Cowley Architects restoration of the Strecker Laboratory; the joint restoration of the Prospect Park Audubon Center at the Boathouse; the City of Yonkers' restoration of the Gazette Building; Crawford & Sterns' restoration of the Orleans County courthouse and Clerk's Building; and Hamilton Houston Lownie Architects' restoration of the Buffalo City Hall Council Chambers. Organizational award winners were the renovation of Canisius College in North Central Buffalo, and the preservation of the A. Conger Goodyear House by World Monuments Fund (WMF) and Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities.

Capping off the awards was an individual recognition of J. Winthrop Aldrich, who played a major role in establishing the Hudson River National Historic Landmark District, the largest national historic landmark district in the United States. This past January, he retired as the New York State's Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation, a post at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. For the preceding 20 years, he had served as special assistant to six successive commissioners of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.