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2021 Preservation Award Recipients

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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 2021 Awards were presented on Sunday, December 12th.  A video of the awards presentation can be viewed below, along with a list of all of this year’s award recipients.

Award of Merit

The Award of Merit is for the sympathetic rehabilitation of an historic building or structure in our nine-county region completed within the past two years.

Mary Clark Thompson Memorial Chapel, Woodlawn Cemetery
130 N. Pearl Street, City of Canandaigua, Ontario County

One of the largest cemetery chapels in the region, this 1909 Gothic Revival edifice was vacant for over 60 years, with extensive drainage, structural, plaster and stained-glass issues. A comprehensive rehabilitation was initiated, with private and state grant funding. The combined efforts of cemetery trustees, superintendent Doug Stone and Bero Architecture, PLLC, together with a team of local craftsmen, have completely transformed this elegant building, that includes a restored Hook and Hastings pipe organ and is now available for receptions, concerts and other special events.

Special Citations

A Special Citation provides recognition for projects that do not fit into other categories or recognizes an outstanding individual or group accomplishments in the field of historic preservation. This year’s Special Citations were presented to three honorees.

Fancher War Memorial
Route 31, hamlet of Fancher, Orleans County

The restoration of this unique World War II memorial was achieved via a remarkable partnership of town government, local historical society and a former Fancher resident/philanthropist. With repairs completed by local craftsmen, the Medina stone tower, with clock, was re-dedicated this year, exactly 72 years after its original dedication in 1949.

James DeVinney (posthumous)
Corn Hill Neighborhood Historian and Documentarian, City of Rochester, Monroe County

Deeply committed to local history and historic preservation, the late Jim DeVinney brought his exceptional skills and experience to his role as Corn Hill Historian, beginning in 2014, via in-depth articles, guided tours and documentary productions.

Maureen Kingston
Town and Village of Avon Historian (retired), Livingston County

 

Maureen combined forty years as municipal historian with on-going advocacy about the benefits of historic preservation. A founding member of the Avon Historical and Preservation Society, Maureen brought professionalism and commitment to her work, which has included historic documentation, numerous lectures and special events planning.

Small Business Award

The Small Business Award recognizes small businesses that occupy historic commercial buildings and have demonstrated their commitment to preservation via the care, repair, and/or long-term operation at these sites.

Avon Inn
50 East Main Street, village of Avon, Livingston County

Built in 1840, this iconic landmark is the only surviving hotel that dates from the village’s heyday as a hot springs spa resort. Closed in 2016 after decades in operation, this National Register-listed building was purchased by local residents Jim and Jen Krause, who completed a major rehabilitation of the inn, one of Livingston County’s foremost commercial buildings. It was re-opened as an event center in 2018.   

For their creative approaches to historic rehabilitation, four breweries are being recognized under the theme, “Eat, drink, preserve!”  They are:

 

Irondequoit Beer Company
765 Titus Avenue, town of Irondequoit, Monroe County

Credit: Will Cleveland, Democrat & Chronicle

Located on the former Vercruysse farm, this early-20th-century barn of rare, glazed tile construction was sensitively rehabilitated by owner Mike Nolan and has opened as the town’s of Irondequoit’s first brewery. 

Battle Street Brewery
4 Battle Street, village of Dansville, Livingston County

The shared vision of Dansville residents Dennis Boor and Doug Acomb, Battle Street Brewery occupies a formerly vacant, 1880s railroad station, an excellent example of adaptive re-use.

Brewery Ardennes
570 Snell Road, town of Geneva, Ontario County

Credit: Don Cochran for Edge Architecture

Originally a sheep barn (1909) on the Bellwood estate, this elegant, Norman-style stone building has been impressively rehabilitated by owners Derek and Stacey Edinger, for their Belgian-style craft brewery.

Laurentide Beer Company
12 Maiden Lane, village of Penn Yan, Yates County

Credit: Laurentide Beer Company

The 19th-century carriage house for the Laurentide Inn, an impressive Greek Revival mansion, this micro-brewery was created by owners Tracy and Marla Hedworth, with sensitivity to the original design and materials of this historic building.

Stewardship Award

The Stewardship Award recognizes an individual or organization that has provided 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.

Richard Calabrese for the Times-Square Building
45 Exchange Boulevard, City of Rochester, Monroe County

Rochester’s most iconic Art Deco skyscraper (1929), this building is the work of NYC architect Ralph Walker and is topped with the dramatic “Wings of Progress” sculpture. For the past twenty years its on-going rehabilitation has been carefully coordinated by owner, Rich Calabrese, with particular attention to the restoration of original details, such as light fixtures, terrazzo floors, wood paneling, bas relief plaster, marble fireplaces, decorative ceilings, and Art Deco metalwork. Original exterior lighting for the “Wings” has been restored, as has the limestone base for that sculpture.

Emmeline Wadsworth Memorial Fountain
Main Street, village of Geneseo, Livingston County

Donated to the community in 1888 by the Wadsworth family, this is western New York’s only example of the work of Richard Morris Hunt, one of America’s premier 19th-century architects. The fountain is topped by a large bronze bear, the work of French sculptor Antoine Barye. Recent decades have witnessed several vehicular collisions with extensive damage, requiring major restoration.  Coordinated by village officials, with public donations, and a thorough digital scan to guide future work, restoration of the fountain is now complete.

Cobblestone Society and Museum
14389 Ridge Road West, hamlet of Childs, Orleans County

For sixty years, this organization has focused on the history and architecture of this iconic type of stone masonry. Highlighted by one of the largest cobblestone churches in North America, their multiple-building campus is the only designated “National Historic Landmark” in Orleans County. The museum maintains an extensive archives, as well as the on-going Cobblestone Info Base, with data on all known cobblestone buildings in the U.S. and Canada.

Hotchkiss Peppermint Museum
95 Water Street, village of Lyons, Wayne County

Located next to the Erie Canal in the former H.G. Hotchkiss Essential Oil Company building (1884), this museum interprets the history of the peppermint/essential oil industry, which was a major cash crop in the area during the late 19th/early 20th century. Chartered in 1998, the Lyons Heritage Society is headquartered in the National Register-listed building and coordinates the impressive collection of artifacts that document this fascinating local industry.

Sodus Bay Historical Society/Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum
7606 N. Ontario Street, village of Sodus Point, Wayne County

Built in 1870-’71, on a bluff overlooking Sodus Bay, the limestone lighthouse tower and keeper’s residence are owned by the Town of Sodus, with a long-term lease with the Sodus Point Historical Society, which has administered the museum since 1985. The Society’s recent repairs to this National Register-listed building, whose exposed site is affected by challenging weather conditions, included restoration of wood window sash, gutters, downspouts and masonry.

Historic Home Award

The Historic Home Award is given to 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.

Matthew Clingerman and Joseph O’Toole
412 East Avenue, village of Newark, Wayne County

Purchased in 2003 by the current owners, this impressive 1860 Italian Villa residence and carriage house were rehabilitated to their historic appearance, via extensive research, historic photographs, and sheer tenacity! The four-unit house was returned to its single-family configuration. Original architectural parts were located and re-assembled, while the missing front porch was completely re-built. The carriage house, in near collapse, was stabilized and restored. The 18-year-long transformation is a remarkable achievement.

Paul Malo Award for HISTORIC Preservation Advocacy

The Paul Malo Award for Historic Preservation Advocacy is named for the late Paul Malo, award-winning author, architect, historian, and Syracuse University faculty member, whose passionate advocacy for New York’s historic resources extended over a six-decade career. The award recognizes an individual who has been an outstanding advocate for historic preservation in their community.

Emil Bove
Town of Seneca Falls, Seneca County

 

His community’s leading preservation advocate for over four decades, attorney Emil Bove is also the founder of “Preserve Seneca Falls,” the local not-for-profit preservation advocacy organization. His tenacity, political acumen and financial support of projects in this rural community have helped ensure the preservation and adaptive use of important resources in both the town and village.

Traditional Trades Award

These awards recognize outstanding individual or group accomplishments in the field of historic preservation as related to the traditional trades.

Donald and the late Lenore Cooper
Leaded Glass Art, Town of Brighton, Monroe County

 

With a studio established in 1975, Don and his late wife, Lenore, have provided outstanding stained-glass restoration service to hundreds of buildings in western New York.

Matthew Smith
Unified Vision Studios, City of Rochester, Monroe County

 

Representing the “next generation” of craftsman, Rochesterian Matt Smith coordinates leaded and stained-glass restoration, with new design and custom-work projects.

Jean France Special Achievement Award

The Special Achievement Award recognizes accomplishments that have occurred over a lengthy period of time.

C. Wilson “Bill” Lattin
former Orleans County Historian and Director Emeritus, the Cobblestone Society Museum

Orleans County Historian for forty years, Bill Lattin concurrently served as director of the Cobblestone Museum for thirty years. Bill has advocated for local history for over six decades, through countless tours and publications. The foremost authority on all aspects of Orleans County history, Bill continues his involvement with preservation and museum programming, lifetime commitments for this accomplished community activist.

Barber Conable Award

The Barber Conable Award, the Society’s most prestigious award for historic preservation, recognizes a large-scale rehabilitation of a historic building in our region completed within the past two years. This award was created to honor Congressman Barber Conable of Alexander, Genesee County, whose supported the establishment of the Federal Investment Tax Credit Program for the rehabilitation of historic, income-producing buildings. 

Holley Gardens
1 Wright Street, Village of Holley, Orleans County

This impressive rehabilitation is the result of a talented team that included an exceptional developer, veteran contractor, supportive local officials and experienced preservation consultants, who tackled a daunting list of challenges to complete this remarkable $17 million project.  Home Leasing Corp. and Edgemere Development LLC rehabilitated the former Holley High School (1931), one of the most important civic buildings in Orleans County, but vacant for over forty years. The result? Forty-one, mixed-income apartments and the new administrative headquarters of the village of Holley, a project completed using the Historic Investment Tax Credits for buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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2021 Preservation Award Recipients

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