JOIN US AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
On Tuesday, December 3rd, the Rochester community will come together to ROC the Day and we need YOU to join us. It’s 24 hours of unprecedented community giving. And it’s your chance to make a real difference right here in the Greater Rochester region.
All donations made to The Landmark Society on ROC the Day will go directly to our Preservation Grant Fund.
This program provides pre-construction funding to at-risk historic properties throughout our region. It quite literally saves properties from demolition or decay.
By providing critical seed funding for feasibility studies, building condition reports, code compliance studies, and more, the Preservation Grant Fund helps get preservation projects off the ground. Since we launched the program in 2012, we’ve helped save and rehabilitate 40 historic places with over $80,000 in grants.
Our very first grant award went to the City of Rochester to fund architectural services on a small historic house at 54.5 Madison Street in the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood. This early 20th century cottage was located in backyard of another house, 54 Madison. Both had suffered significant deterioration and faced potential demolition.
Eventually, a neighborhood resident, Cynthia Silver, acquired the property–which included both houses–from the City and embarked on two extensive rehab projects. Both houses had suffered significant neglect and required new mechanicals, new floors, moldings, bathrooms, kitchens, roofs, and plenty more. Because 54 and 54.5 Madison are located in the Susan B. Anthony City Preservation District, work was reviewed by the City of Rochester Preservation Board.
The good news is that Cynthia successfully completed both projects and is getting ready to officially unveil the freshly rehabilitated houses at a ribbon cutting on December 5th! We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek–check out the details below:
Cynthia was able to preserve the exterior character of each of the houses (including the fabulous details on 54’s porch!!) while updating and respecting the historic character of the interior spaces.
And here’s a peek inside 54.5 Madison:
It’s projects like this–carried out by ordinary people working hard to improve their neighborhood or their community–that embody what historic preservation is all about. And it’s projects like this that our Preservation Grant Fund helps kickstart. But we need YOUR help to provide more grants to at-risk historic places in the greater Rochester region, places like 6 Madison Street, also in the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood and one of our newest Five to Revive.
Just up the street from 54, 6 Madison has been vacant since 1996. It’s secure from the elements but it needs significant investment. It’s the last remaining vacant house in the neighborhood and neighbors are anxious to see it put back to use. That’s why we included the house in 2019 Five to Revive. A past award from our Preservation Grant Fund helped the Neighborhood Association complete a feasibility study, which examined options for reuse and how to fund such a project. In the coming year, we’ll be working closely with stakeholders to hopefully get 6 Madison looking as good as 54 and 54.5!
With your support on ROC the Day, together we can continue to help save historic properties like 54 and 6 Madison. Our Five to Revive properties like 6 Madison receive priority consideration for grant funds and can use all the help they can get!
So, mark your calendars and set your alarms for Tuesday, December 3rd! You can support the Preservation Grant Fund at: roctheday.org/landmarksociety.
And be sure to join us for our ROC the Day Happy Hour on Tuesday, 5:30-8:00 PM at Marshall St. Bar & Grill. We’ll be closing out the day with our friends at Genesee Country Village & Museum and the Rochester Housing Development Fund Corporation! There will be raffles, giveaways, a photo booth (maybe even a historical St. Nick!), and fun!