2008 Summer Issue of Landmarks Offers Something for Everyone

May 12, 2008 - Our annual tabloid issue is chock-full of great stories for your enjoyment. Find out about the relationship between the mortgage crisis and preservation, read about how strip malls may be the next frontier for preservation efforts, learn maintenance planning tips, join the celebration of 100 years of Pike Stained Glass, experience preservation in pop culture through the eyes of your favorite Landmark Society staff members, and much more! And, as always, there are plenty of Landmark events to add to your calendar - Coffee Walks, Architecture for Lunch and Full Moon Flashlight Tours, just to name a few.

If you're a Landmark Society member, your copy will arrive in your mailbox this week. If not, you can pick up a copy at several locations around town or by stopping into our offices at 133 S. Fitzhugh Street in Rochester.

(Of course, you could save yourself the gas money and join The Landmark Society today - we'll conveniently deliver Landmarks to your door four times a year along with many other great benefits. Memberships start at just $35 - what a bargain! Click here for more details.)

2008 House & Garden Tour - June 7 & 8 in the Highland Park neighborhood.

May 9, 2008 - Tucked between the famed lilacs of Highland Park and the eclectic shops and restaurants on Clinton and South Avenues is one of the most pleasant and livable neighborhoods in the Rochester area. Formerly known as the Ellwanger Barry neighborhood, the newly re-named Highland Park neighborhood boasts gorgeous homes loaded with stunning details. In 38 years of presenting House and Garden Tours, the Landmark Society has never showcased this “residential jewel” that borders the southern edge of Rochester. Read more about this year's tour, the pre-tour slideshow/talk and the tour luncheon at Pomodoro.

Advance tickets are $20 ($18 for Landmark members). You may purchase tickets several ways: online using our secure server; by coming into The Landmark Society's offices at 133 S. Fitzhugh Street; at Parkleigh, 215 Park Avenue, Rochester; or by calling (585) 546-7029 x10. New this year! General tickets are being sold at all Wegmans in the Rochester area. Member-priced tickets may only be purchased through The Landmark Society or at Parkleigh. Advance purchase is advised as the tour often sells out and tickets during the tour, if available, are $25. Tickets are non-refundable.

See you there!

If you find yourself getting excited by that retro-ranch on your street or you have a “thing” for the funky old gas station or drive-through on your commute, you’re exactly the kind of person we need!

The Landmark Society of Western New York and the Rochester chapter of the American Institute of Architects are partnering through a public survey effort to raise awareness of recent past architecture. Read more about The Landmark Society's work on recent past architecture (including our statement on Midtown Plaza) here.

If you have a favorite mid-century building in the area or know of a landmark in your neighborhood that was built between 1930 and 1970, we want to hear about it. Visit www.aiaroch.org/archipedia/ and tell us what you know about this structure or site and why it is important.

Once completed, the survey will allow the AIA to create a searchable database for those doing research on Rochester architecture or planning. It will also allow for possible nominations to the National, State and/or Local historic registers. Most importantly, it will take the first step towards a proactive protection for more modern buildings to be protected.

The Landmark Society anticipates the RPO Showhouse will bring hundreds of people onto the estate grounds. We are opening the Ellwanger Garden in cooperation with the RPO to offer tour participants a “complete Ellwanger experience” and to foster a better understanding of this magnificent living museum. In the interest of community spirit and cooperation for the Showhouse event, there will be no additional charge to access the Ellwanger Garden during the Showhouse. However, a donation box, located at the entrance to the garden, will encourage visitors interested in supporting The Landmark Society’s preservation and maintenance of the garden.

Due to the increased hours, The Landmark Society is actively seeking volunteers to help staff the garden during these additional times. Please call Tammy Chmiel, Landmark Society Events and Volunteer Coordinator at (585)546-7029 x14 if you are interested in volunteering time. This is a perfect opportunity for work groups or community organizations to get together and have fun in a beautiful setting!

Please click here for more information on Ellwanger Garden.

The Landmark Society is engaged in productive discussions with key planners and decision makers regarding the Midtown project and others currently on the table, and we have brought attention to the tremendous opportunities to incorporate existing, historically significant elements of Midtown Plaza into new design plans. As this multifaceted project moves ahead, we look forward to continuing to work alongside the designers and developers, lending our knowledge of Midtown’s history as we all seek the best possible outcome for this complex site.

Please click here for a Q&A and more information.

Under the guidance of our professional staff, your child will learn first hand to appreciate the pleasures and hardships of pioneer activities. They will discover the differences and similarities between their own lives and the life of an early 19th-century child. Campers make crafts and food, enjoy games and stories, and participate in many other tasks from the past. You will be amazed at the projects – and the skills – they bring home this summer! At Pioneer Days, your child will have a memorable and relaxed summer camp experience. He or she will meet other children with similar interests. A cooperative, non-competitive atmosphere is encouraged.

The program runs Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. Camp sessions for 2008 are: July 14-18; July 21-25; July 28-August 1; August 4-8; August 11-15

Register online or by phone weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm at (585) 546-7029 x12.

Make a significant impact on the future development of our cities, neighborhoods and rural areas.

Join The Landmark Society Director’s Circle.

Your commitment. Your dedication. Your faithful support. These are the foundation of all we do. The attributes you bring to The Landmark Society are the backbone of our focus on the future of the organization, as well as for the future of our historic resources -- especially in the context of planning for new development.

For this reason, the trustees of The Landmark Society of Western New York cordially invite you to join a very special group of preservation champions – The Landmark Society Director’s Circle.

Director’s Circle members will play a crucial role in achieving our mission. With your leading support, we will face the pending challenges of redefining our cities, neighborhoods and rural areas.

Please join The Landmark Society Director’s Circle, enjoy the special privileges offered to this exclusive group of benefactors, and, most importantly, make a positive impact on the future of our communities.

For more information on the unique benefits designed exclusively for Director's Circle members, please visit our enrollment site or call Susan Latoski, Director of Development at 585-546-7027 x29.

Along virtually every village and urban Main Street, the upper floors of older commercial buildings sit abandoned or under-utilized, mothballed by changes in building codes, housing preferences and retail requirements. Increasingly, however, creative redevelopment of buildings' upstairs is helping to breathe new life into these once-neglected spaces. From trendy loft apartments to the restoration of opera houses, learn about inspiring new uses for upper floors and what makes them successful from a dynamic roster of architects, planners and developers from across the state.

In addition to the focus on commercial space, the Conference offers valuable advice for the individual homeowner as well as the preservation professional. Homeowners, for example, can learn how to restore historic masonry while preservation activists will learn how to put together a National Register nomination. There are workshop tracks for everyone! In addition to Enhancing Main Street: Making Upper Floors Work Again, session tracks include Local Preservation Planning: Protecting What You've Got, Historic Houses and Gardens, How to Write a National Register Landmark Nomination and Training For Local Preservation Boards and Commissions.

The conference also includes a guided tour and reception, location to be announced soon.

Read more about the conference here. Special discounts available for Landmark Society members as well as for Preservation Board and Commission members.

Walk the Walk - Encounters with Rochester's African-American Ancestors

Rochester’s remarkable African-American ancestors return to the city they made home to entertain and educate during Walk the Walk: Encounters with Rochester’s African-American Ancestors.

This annual tribute to Black History Month brings to life frontiersman Captain Sunfish, abolitionists Frederick Douglass and his wife Anna, as well as other notables from Rochester’s rich African-American past, including a youngster from Mother Dorsey’s home for homeless colored children.

Now in its 12th year, Walk the Walk is offered to the public during a single performance only -- February 8th at 7 p.m. -- at the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, 141 Adams Street in the Historic Corn Hill District. The event is free and open to the public. The African-American Women's service club, The Links, will provide a refreshment reception.

Additional performances of Walk the Walk for school children grade 3 and higher are scheduled for the mornings of Feb. 7 & 8 at the Hochstein Music School. Follow this link for printable Walk the Walk school registration forms and cost information.

The Landmark Society Needs You!

Please make a special tax-deductible gift now by clicking this link to our secure server.

Since 1937, The Landmark Society and our vast array of supporters have provided sound advice, promotions, publications, education, advocacy and intervention that truly makes a difference. While we cannot save every building or historic site, those that survive become more precious each year, and evermore fragile and vulnerable. Remember, when big box development threatens to overcome smaller communities, thanks to your help, The Landmark Society is there. We must remain a vital organization and strengthen our capacity to meet the demands that lie ahead.

Your gift will ensure our continued success in preserving these monuments to our past.

With a new year of preservation challenges fast approaching, we must ask you today to stretch your support and give generously to The Landmark Society. Whether you can give $1,000 or $25, your contribution will allow us to start 2008 on firm footing, ready and determined to continue our mission to discover, protect and revitalize our unique heritage.

You may designate your gift for a specific program or allow us to apply the funds where they are needed the most. Your continued support will ensure we continue to protect and preserve our heritage for future generations to come. Please use our secure server to make your tax-deductible gift to The Landmark Society.

Thank you for your support and all the best for the New Year!

Follow this link for the latest annual and financial report available from The Landmark Society of Western New York, 133 South Fitzhugh St., Rochester, New York, 14608. Our financial records are also on file with the Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271

Stay tuned to our website and we will continue to keep you informed about this and other exciting preservation issues.

How does it work? Simply call the phone number for the tour of your choice, and be ready with a credit card. Each tour costs $4.95. Once you purchase the tour, you may access it for 48 hours.

The tour will give you directions to move from stop to stop. Just enjoy the first stop, get the directions, then hang up your phone. Proceed to the next stop and phone in again to access the next description. You can enjoy the tour in one outing, or over several days. You can even enjoy an "armchair tour" - listening to the descriptions and stories from the comfort of your home, car or local coffee shop. You are in control!