Preservation League Announces "Seven to Save" Endangered Properties

ALBANY, NY (02/12/2009)(readMedia)-- In 2009, the Preservation League of New York State will use its endangered properties program, Seven to Save, to support and enhance the year-long commemoration of the voyages of Henry Hudson, Robert Fulton and Samuel de Champlain.

"New York State is especially rich in maritime resources and waterfront communities," said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. "The region from the Canadian border to New York Harbor is celebrated for its beauty, and boasts a strong tradition of settlement by Native Americans followed by French, Dutch, English and others who made important contributions reflected in the area's buildings and landscapes. Unfortunately, many of the valued historic resources that illustrate this heroic saga are threatened by insensitive, ineffective or insufficient public policies, general neglect, and in some cases, outright demolition."

Additional information on the 2009 Seven to Save list is available on the League's website at www.preservenys.org. The designees are, in chronological order:

Magdalen Island

Red Hook, in Tivoli Bays, Dutchess County

(Late Archaic, 6,000-3,000 years ago, through post-contact period)

Threat: Looting

Jan Van Hoesen House

Claverack, Columbia County

(early 18^th century)

Threat: Deterioration

Gunboat Spitfire

Lake Champlain, Essex and Clinton Counties

(1776)

Threat: Natural, including non-native aquatic species, and vandalism

Plumb-Bronson House

Hudson, Columbia County

(1811, 1838, 1849)

Threat: Many years of unchecked deterioration

Fort Montgomery

Rouse's Point, Clinton County

(1844-1872)

Threat: Deterioration, need for stabilization

Burden Iron Works Museum

Troy, Rensselaer County

(1881-1882)

Threat: Deterioration

Historic South Street Seaport

New York City, New York County

(Tin Building, 1907 and New Market Building, 1939)

Threat: Demolition, loss of context

The Preservation League will provide targeted support for these seven threatened historic resources throughout 2009, and will work with local groups to protect them.

"We are looking forward to providing strategic attention, extra effort, and new tools to secure the future of these endangered resources for generations to come," said Erin Tobin, the Preservation League's eastern regional director for technical and grant programs. "We are delighted to report that through the community involvement and preservation strategies we have created together with local advocates, many significant properties have been saved."

"The Hudson Fulton Champlain Commission applauds the Preservation League of New York," said Joan Davidson, Chair. "We are deeply impressed, and grateful that the League has this year chosen to put its prestige and clout into the cause of protecting the vulnerable heritage of the Hudson Valley. Excelsior!"

The Preservation League of New York State, founded in 1974, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection of New York's diverse and rich heritage of historic buildings, districts and landscapes. From its headquarters in Albany, it provides the unified voice for historic preservation. By leading a statewide movement and sharing information and expertise, the Preservation League of New York State promotes historic preservation as a tool to revitalize the Empire State's neighborhoods and communities.

For more additional information and photographs of Seven to Save, visit www.preservenys.org.