Historic New York:
Architectural Journeys in the Empire State
Photography by Andy Olenick
Written by Richard O. Reisem

More than five years in the making, this photographic tour de force explores four centuries of architecture in the Empire State. From Hudson Valley mansions and New York skyscrapers to Adirondack Great Camps and Erie Canal cobblestone structures, Historic New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State visits hundreds of the state's landmarks through stunning color images and pithy captions.

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CHAPTER 1: LONG ISLAND - Westbury House
CHAPTER 2: NEW YORK CITY - Grand Central Terminal
CHAPTER 3: HUDSON RIVER VALLEY - Olana
CHAPTER 4: THE CAPITAL DISTRICT - New York State Capital
CHAPTER 5: ADIRONDACKS - Essex Inn
CHAPTER 6: THE MOHAWK RIVER VALLEY - Herkimer Home
CHAPTER 7: THOUSAND ISLANDS - Boldt Castle
CHAPTER 8: FINGER LAKES - Niagara Mohawk Building
CHAPTER 9: WESTERN ERIE CANAL - George Eastman House
CHAPTER 10: SOUTHERN TIER - Chautauqua Institution
CHAPTER 11: NIAGARA FRONTIER - Buffalo City Hall

 


Andy Olenick, photographer
Photographer Andy Olenick, with his wife Sherri, business partner, and traveling companion, created the photographs for this new book. Sherri worked as coordinator and organized the material for Andy on the five-year project.

Since graduation from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Andy has been fulfilling assignments nationally in commercial, magazine, corporate, and industrial photography including illustration, annual reports, advertising, and architecture. He created the superb photographs for the books, 200 Years of Rochester Architecture and Gardens, Classic Buffalo ~ A Heritage of Distinguished Architecture and Erie Canal Legacy ~ Architectural Treasures of the Empire State.

Their studio - Fotowerks, Ltd. - is in the heart of Rochester's Historic Cascade District and is located in the former city morgue (circa 1900), which they have restored to more lively pursuits. Andy is past president of the western New York chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers and active in many local civic organization.

Andy and Sherri have raised five children and live in an 1820 Federal style house that they have restored in LeRoy, New York.

 

Richard O. Reisem, author
Prolific writer Richard O. Reisem has penned eleven books since retiring from Eastman Kodak Company's Communications and Public Affairs Division in 1986. His books cover diverse subjects concerned with history and architecture, including Erie Canal Legacy, Classic Buffalo, and 200 Years of Rochester Architecture and Gardens, three coffee table books produced in collaboration with Andy Olenick. Reisem graduated from Iowa State University where he studied architecture, history, and journalism. His 31-year career at Eastman Kodak Company included serving as speechwriter for six of the company's CEOs. Reisem lives in an 1868 Gothic Revival house in a Rochester, New York historic preservation district -- a district that he worked to establish in 1973.

 

Introducing Historic New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State - a photography book of such breathtaking images and broad scope that it is destined to become a standard in its field.

Historic New York begins in Long Island, home to some of the nation's finest estates, and meanders westward ending in the Niagara Frontier with its famous falls and fort. In between, the photographic tour de force visits every region of the state, documenting in more than 300 full-color photographs each area's distinctive and diverse structures.

The 224-page book was photographed Andy Olenick and written by Richard O. Reisem, an award-winning creative team renowned for their outstanding photography books on local and regional architecture. More than five years in the making, this most ambitious project to date covers four centuries of New York architecture, from structures reflecting the state's early history as a Dutch colony to the most avant-garde post-Modern designs.

Historic New York features images of more than 100 locations, most photographed on several different occasions to capture the precise lighting and season that will showcase that structure best. "Lighting, in my mind, is the secret," explains Olenick, a seasoned magazine and commercial photographer. "When you have dramatic lighting on a building it accentuates the fine details and evokes emotion."

Embellishing the photographs are Reisem's mini-histories of each site. A retired Kodak executive and life-long student of architecture, Reisem weaves together pithy architectural reviews with dramatic tales of altruism, daring, and carnage. He tells of an attempted assassination, a surprise pre-dawn attack, and the competition to construct the tallest building in the world -- stories that bring each location to life.

A favorite is Reisem's description of the rustic 1,526-acre Camp Sagamore in the Adirondacks. It concludes with this touching story about its owner, Alfred Vanderbilt, the wealthiest man in late-19th century America. "On May 4, 1915, Alfred Vanderbilt was returning from Europe on the Lusitania, which was sunk by a German torpedo. As the ship sank, Alfred gave his life vest to a woman with a child, who lived to report his heroic act. His last words were, 'Come and let us save the kiddies.'"

Published by the Landmark Society of Western New York, one of the country's oldest and most respected historic preservation organizations. The Society is also the proud publisher of two other Olenick-Reisem collaborations: the award-winning Erie Canal Legacy: Architectural Treasures of the Empire State and the best-selling 200 Years of Rochester Architecture and Gardens. Support is also provided by the New York State Council on the Arts and the Preservation League of New York State.

An organizing principle of the book was to explore landmarks that are open to the public. To this end, all of the structures featured are house museums, public buildings, churches, office buildings or other sites that can be visited. A helpful list of telephone numbers and websites for any site that holds regular visiting hours is included with the book.



 

Historic New York: Architectural Journeys in the Empire State
Price: $49.95 + tax  (see special savings at our online store)
Cloth: Hardcover
ISBN: 0-9763910-2-3
Page count: 224
Size: 9 1/4" by 12 1/4"
Publication date: Oct. 21, 2006

More than 300 full-color photographs
Order online from the Landmark Society or call toll free 1-888-546-3849 (in the Rochester area call 546-7029x10)
All images © Andy Olenick, Fotowerks