NY Preseration Grant awarded to Historic Preservation Commission
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The Town of Rochester has been notified that it has received a coveted Preserve New York grant from the Preservation League of New York State. The Town was one of only 14 communities in the entire state to receive funds.
The $5,000 award will go to the Historic Preservation Commission, which requested funds to research facets of Rochester’s architectural treasures and share the information with Town residents. The study, called a cultural resources survey, will update an earlier one from 1993. (The study can be found on line on the Town Web site under the Historic Preservation Commission.) The consultant for both surveys is Harry Hansen, of Kyserike Restorations in High Falls, a leading preservationist. When his survey is completed, Hansen will present the results to Town residents in a variety of local forums, including, we hope, a meeting of the Town Board.
As you probably know, Rochester is already known for having one of the largest inventories of 18th and early 19th century stone houses in the country. The new survey will focus primarily on buildings from a later era when Rochester’s development was shaped by the presence of the Delaware & Hudson Canal and after that, the Ontario and Western Railroad. It was a time when agriculture flourished and local residents welcomed thousands of New York City residents to their summer resorts.
The grant to the Commission will allow Hansen to examine a variety of structures, ranging from the former train station and Barley’s General Store, around the corner on Main Street, to an unusual group of plank and log structures in the hills above the Rondout Valley that are linked to the 19th century tanning industry. The Friends of Historic Rochester will aid Hansen in his research and will house his report and research materials.
Many of us on the Historic Preservation Commission believe that historic preservation is critical to preserving the rural character of the Town. The more we know about our history and built environment, the more we’ll want to save the structures that illustrate that history and make them a legacy for future generations
If you, or anyone you know, lives in one of the old log or plank houses, please contact Walter Mintz. Harry would like to make your house part of the survey and will probably want to look around inside.
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