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The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) today announced that nine projects and one individual are being recognized with a 2021 New York State Preservation Award for their efforts to preserve the state’s history. The honors include the restoration of a Mohawk Valley Carnegie Library, the adaptive reuse of a Buffalo grain silo, and the recognition of a historic neighborhood on Fire Island.

"The 2021 New York State Historic Preservation Awards are an opportunity to highlight projects and people who contribute to preserving the heritage of the state for the benefit of our current residents, visitors, and for future generations," State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. "The diversity of the projects being recognized demonstrates that preservation begins with passionate local individuals expanding their advocacy into productive partnerships. We are proud to be one of those partners and congratulate all of the individuals and groups for their extraordinary efforts to preserve these historic places."

Created in 1980, the State Historic Preservation Awards are presented by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation each year to honor excellence in the protection and revitalization of historic and cultural resources. The awards follow the completion of the 2021-2026 NYS Historic Preservation Plan, which offers a bold vision for all New Yorkers to partake in the social and economic benefits of historic preservation. A copy of the plan can be found here.  

This year's 2021 State Historic Preservation Awards recipients are:

Wethersfield, Town of Amenia, Dutchess County

Excellence in Historic Landscape Preservation

Wethersfield, the sprawling 1000-acre country estate in Amenia, Dutchess County, is recognized for the nomination that resulted in its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Created between 1937 and 1977 by Chauncey Stillman, the property includes a Georgian Revival-style residence, a stable/carriage barn, and ancillary farm buildings, set in an area of formal gardens and sculpture, forests, agricultural fields, and carriage drives.

Lucy Rockefeller Waletzky

Outstanding Contributions to Historic Preservation

Lucy Rockefeller Waletzky, M.D. is recognized for her Outstanding Contribution to Historic Preservation. Her decades long dedication to preservation has had an incalculable impact on the state’s cultural and historic resources.

Gloversville Public Library, City of Gloversville, Fulton County

Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation

The Gloversville Public Library is recognized for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation for the recently completed work that transformed the 1904 Carnegie Library. Funded by a NYS Environmental Protection Fund Historic Preservation grant, the work included interior and exterior restoration and upgrades to the building’s original mechanical systems.

Grant Cottage State Historic Site, Hamlet of Gansevoort, Saratoga County

Excellence in Environmental Stewardship

The 2021 Environmental Stewardship award goes to Grant Cottage State Historic Site for the installation of a 30kilowatt Hybrid Photovoltaic system. The installation allows the site to operate completely off the grid and keeps the cottage and its physical inventory in a climate-controlled environment without interruption to help maintain the items for decades to come.

Building B, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Borough of Brooklyn, Kings County

Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse

Building B at the Brooklyn Navy Yard is recognized for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse. The project brought new life to the once-threatened 1872 row house, the last remaining building in Admiral’s Row, which now houses the offices of Steiner Studios.

Point O'Woods, Fire Island, Suffolk County

Excellence in Historic Documentation for the Point O’Woods Historic District

Point O’Woods Historic District on Fire Island is recognized for the nomination that resulted in its listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The oldest community on Fire Island, Point O’Woods was founded in 1898 with a mission to form a summer community with educational and entertainment opportunities in a “healthful environment.”

Clinton Avenue Rowhouses, City of Albany, Albany County

Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation

The Clinton Avenue Rowhouses project is recognized for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation for the transformative work on 70 rowhouses in the Arbor Hill neighborhood of Albany. Acquired in foreclosure, the buildings were renovated using Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits to include 210 affordable housing units, and 6 commercial spaces.

Roe-Jan Brewing Company, Town of Hillsdale, Columbia County

Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation

The Roe-Jan Brewing Company is recognized for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation for the adaptive reuse of the former Buckley Store building. Constructed in 1851, the building had been vacant before being rehabilitated for use as a craft brewery and restaurant with the help of Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Kreiner Malt House and Grain Elevator, City of Buffalo, Erie County

Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation

The Kreiner Malt House is recognized for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation for the project that transformed a historic grain elevator into offices, apartments, and a brewery. The project utilized Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits, and showcases this important regional building type by incorporating new uses while preserving a strong sense of its original function.

Northland Corridor Redevelopment/Niagara Machine and Tool Works, City of Buffalo, Erie County

Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation

The Northland Beltline redevelopment project is recognized for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation for the revitalization of multiple vacant properties in a large manufacturing district on Buffalo’s east side. The cornerstone of this redevelopment project is the Northland Workforce Training Center in the former Niagara Machine and Tool Works Factory, which was one of the oldest and most important tool and machine manufacturing facilities built and operated in Buffalo in the 20th century.

New York's Division for Historic Preservation, part of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, helps communities identify, evaluate, preserve and revitalize their historic, archeological, and cultural resources. The Division works with governments, the public, and educational and not-for-profit organizations to raise historic preservation awareness, to instill in New Yorkers a sense of pride in the state's unique history, and to encourage heritage tourism and community revitalization.