What do a creekside tavern, sunken garden, mercantile/café, prison guard towers, and a study of a Mid-Century Modern architect have in common? All were recipients of Preservation Awards from The Landmark Society of Western New York in 2019.
Each fall, The Landmark Society presents awards to projects, people, and organizations who, through their dedication and hard work, have contributed to historic preservation in our nine-county area.
The Landmark Society’s Awards Committee is now seeking recommendations for its 2020 Preservation Awards. Award suggestions are welcome from Genesee, Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties.
Below is a list of the award categories, along with descriptions and criteria for each award. If you know any project or person deserving of any of these awards, please email your suggestions to Cynthia Howk at chowk@landmarksociety.org by Monday, June 1, 2020. The Awards Committee will begin reviewing submissions at its June meeting. If you have any questions, contact Howk by email or phone at 537-5959. For information, visit http://landmarksociety.org/preservation-awards-program.
•Barber Conable Award – A major rehabilitation project completed within the last two years, possibly using Federal Investment Tax Credit program. Old fabric should be sympathetically maintained and carefully rehabilitated. New construction, if any, should be compatible and of high authentic quality. This award need not be given if no project meets the standards.
•Award of Merit – This award applies to projects similar to those eligible for the above mentioned Conable Award, but of a more modest scope. The award is given for a sympathetic rehabilitation of an architecturally significant building, structure, object, or site. Candidacy may be enhanced if the project is historically significant or if it strengthens its neighborhood. The project must have been completed within the past two years. The above award cannot be given to single-family residences.
•Stewardship Award – This award recognizes an individual or organization that has proved continued care of and commitment to the preservation of an architecturally and/or historically significant public property over a period of years. “Care” can include appropriate changes to the building fabric. Eligible properties include religious, educational, not-for-profit, commercial or government buildings, structures, objects, or sites.
•Historic Home Award – This award recognizes owners of private residences for their continued care of and commitment to the preservation of an architecturally significant house over a minimum of seven years. “Care” may include appropriate rehabilitation and/or sympathetic new additions according to need. Thoughtful rehabilitation/restoration of the interior and/or significant features of a historical landscape may enhance the quality of the nomination. The seven-year criteria may be waived in special circumstances as deemed appropriate by the awards committee.
•Historic Landscape Award – This award recognizes and encourages the preservation, restoration, rehabilitation and stewardship of historically significant landscapes. The recipient may be either (an) individual(s) or an organization. This award need not be given every year.
•Blood, Sweat, and Tears Award – This award, new for 2020, recognizes building owners who have physically engaged in the preservation and restoration of their property through self-education and countless hours of DIY (do-it-yourself) work. Work on the building does not have to be complete but should be mindful of the “Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation” and demonstrate substantial self-performed long-term care.
•Paul Malo Preservation Advocacy Award – This award was established in honor of the late Syracuse University architect, professor, and preservation advocate who was a friend and colleague of the Landmark Society for over four decades. The award recognizes community activists who have done outstanding work in the field of historic preservation. This award need not be given every year.
•Traditional Trades, Special Citation, and Special Achievement Awards – These awards provide for projects that do not fit into the above categories or recognize outstanding individual or group accomplishments in the field of historic preservation. These awards need not be given every year.
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