Preservation League Names "Seven to Save"

ALBANY, NY (04/23/2012)(readMedia)-- The Preservation League of New York State has released its s list of the Empire State's most threatened historic resources, Seven to Save.

The 2012-2013 Seven to Save list draws attention to the plight of New York's industrial heritage, the lack of master preservation planning documents, and the need to consider historic preservation in the face of development pressure. These seven valued historic resources are in danger of disappearing because of insufficient funding and financial incentives, insensitive public policies, general neglect, disinvestment, and in some cases, demolition.

"Since 1999, Seven to Save has mobilized community leaders and decision-makers to take action when historic resources are threatened," said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. "A Seven to Save designation from the League delivers invaluable technical assistance, fosters increased media coverage and public awareness, and opens the door to grant assistance for endangered properties."

The 2012-13 Seven to Save designees are:

• Knox Farm State Park, East Aurora, Erie County: Knox Farm State Park boasts a remarkable collection of 21 buildings and structures built between the 1860s and 1940s. Many of these are related to three generations of agricultural and equestrian activities by the Knox family, and while currently at risk, hold great potential for re-use. Knox Farm needs a strategy and funding for short-term repair and long-term stewardship, and illustrates a situation facing virtually all of New York State's parks and historic sites in this time of great fiscal challenges.
• South Village, New York City: The 35-block area of the South Village contains a wealth of architecturally and historically significant buildings and sites constructed between the 1820s and 1930s. These sites are associated with bohemian and artistic achievements (especially in music) and counter-cultural movements. As a neighborhood comprised predominantly of tenement housing, the South Village is one of the few remaining intact Manhattan neighborhoods that reflect the immigrant experience.
• The Former IRT Powerhouse, New York City: The Powerhouse was constructed to generate power for the city's first subway line which opened in 1904 and revolutionized transportation between the city's neighborhoods. This massive structure-occupying an entire city block-stands as a symbol of modernity, on a par with great public buildings such as the New York Public Library, Grand Central Terminal and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The rapidly growing waterfront neighborhood surrounding the Powerhouse presents both opportunities and challenges for the building's preservation.
• Smallpox Hospital, Roosevelt Island, New York City: James Renwick designed the Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island, which was completed in 1854. In 1976, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission referred to the Hospital as a "great Gothic ruin" and noted its incorporation into plans to develop a park on the south end of Roosevelt Island. The Four Freedoms Park Conservancy nominated the Smallpox Hospital to the Seven to Save list in recognition of the site's importance and location between a future Cornell University applied sciences campus to the north and the soon-to-be-completed Louis Kahn-designed Four Freedoms Park to the hospital's south. The park conservancy wishes to see a completed feasibility study for adaptive use of the Smallpox Hospital, as well as additional site stabilization.
• Bent's Opera House, Medina, Orleans County: Bent's Opera House is an imposing three-story corner commercial building constructed of the famed red Medina sandstone. It is an anchor building in the Village of Medina's Main Street Historic District, designated at the local, state and national levels. It opened on February 28, 1865 with three store fronts on the first floor, mostly offices on the second level, and an ornate performance space on the third floor. The Orleans Renaissance Group Inc., an arts not-for-profit, is now the owner of this handsome but neglected resource. Since the performance space has not been used for decades, water damage, structural issues and deferred maintenance threaten this landmark.
• Garnerville Arts and Industrial Center (GAGA Arts Center), Rockland County: The Garner Print Works was built in 1828 on the site of a former 1760s grist mill and is named after the Garner brothers, the second owners of the calico printing plant. The plant closed briefly during the depression but was brought back to life in the 1930s by the Garnerville Holding Company. In the mid-1990's, the Garnerville Holding Company began to make space in the underutilized industrial center available to artists. The not-for-profit GAGA Arts Center was formed in 2008 to sponsor the creation and celebration of art at the Garnerville Industrial Terminal through events, festivals, student educational opportunities, and open gallery space. The Minisceongo Creek runs through the complex and once powered the mill, but heavy rains from Hurricane Irene forced a huge volume of water and debris through the mill raceway at the core of the complex. The Main Gallery and many studios sustained serious damage.
• Historic and Cultural Resources of the Marcellus Shale Region: The Preservation League is increasingly concerned about the negative impacts that high-volume natural gas hydraulic fracturing could have on historic buildings, communities and landscapes in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions of New York State. The development and servicing of the industrial infrastructure required by this process poses a significant threat to historic structures, cultural resources and heritage tourism in these areas.

Since 1999, publicity and advocacy resulting from Seven to Save designation has led to the rehabilitation and reopening of the Oswego City Public Library, the rebirth of Montauk Manor on Long Island, and the rededication of the once-abandoned George Harvey Justice Building in Binghamton along with successes at several other locations.

The Preservation League of New York State is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1974. The League invests in people and projects that champion the essential role of preservation in community revitalization, sustainable economic growth, and the protection of New York's historic buildings and landscapes. It leads advocacy, economic development, and education programs all across the state.