Utica Organization Secures Preservation Grant

ALBANY, NY (08/20/2013)(readMedia)-- The Preservation League of New York State has awarded a Technical Assistance Grant to a group directly engaged in the stewardship and public use of a historic building in Oneida County. A $3,000 grant to the Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute will support the cost of a Roof and Gutter Conditions Survey for Fountain Elms, a former grand residence that now serves the Utica campus.

The Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute (MWPAI), a leading arts center in the state, boasts a collection of 19th and 20th century buildings that supports its mission. Fountain Elms features several c.1850 period rooms, gallery spaces, meeting rooms and a café. However, this landmark suffers from moisture problems related to its roof drainage system. As a result, the building's sand paint finish, interior walls and decorative arts collections are at risk.

TAG funds will support a conditions survey to assess the causes of failure and recommend treatment plans appropriate for this Italianate style landmark building. Crawford and Stearns Architects and Preservation Planners of Syracuse will complete the study.

"TAG funds are crucial in allowing MWPAI to bring the roofing challenges at Fountain Elms to a closure," said Ron Draper, Director of Facilities at Munson Williams. "Crawford and Stearns extensive experience with historic and culturally significant buildings will help guide us to make the right decisions for our building."

The Preservation League of New York State launched the Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program in 2012 to support discrete projects that preserve New York State's cultural and historic resources. Grants of up to $3,000 are available to not-for-profit arts and cultural groups and municipalities managing historic sites, museums, arts facilities and other culturally important institutions that are located in historic buildings and structures open to the public.

"In a very competitive grant round, applicants sought funds for technical studies to be carried out by preservation and design professionals which included building conditions surveys, engineering and structural analyses, and feasibility and reuse studies," said Tania Werbizky, the League's Regional Director of Technical and Grant Programs in western New York. "The Preservation League is delighted to help advance the efforts of the Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute with this grant."

Guidelines for application for the second of two grant rounds in 2013 are now available on the League's website. Applications must be received by September 16, 2013. A total of $11,553 is available statewide for the fall funding cycle, and funded work must be completed by the end of the calendar year. Each grant recipient must provide a $500 match and the cost of the project may not exceed $3,500.

The Preservation League of New York State is a private, not-for-profit organization that works to protect and enhance the Empire State's historic buildings, landscapes and neighborhoods. The Technical Assistance Grant Program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

"The TAG program builds on the record of excellence the League has established with the similarly NYSCA-funded Preserve New York Grant program," said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. "Our TAG program fills a significant funding gap. It is tailored to provide support to worthy projects in New York that are ineligible for grants from other sources, or may not have the scope or scale to compete at regional and national levels."

The following received TAG support in the first funding round of 2013: Montgomery County (2): Friends of Fort Plain; Mohawk Valley Collective; New York County: Lilac Preservation Project, New York; Niagara County (2): Heritage of Hope and Service, Inc., Niagara Falls; Tonawanda's Council for the Arts, North Tonawanda; Oneida County: Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute, Utica; Ontario County: Victor Historical Society, Victor; Orleans County: Cobblestone Society, Albion; Saratoga County: Universal Preservation Hall, Saratoga Springs; Schoharie County: Town of Jefferson; Steuben County: Save the Lyon Commission, Inc., Bath, Suffolk County: Eastville Community Historical Society, Sag Harbor; Washington County: Whitehall Skene Manor Preservation, Inc., Whitehall.

For more information on the League's Technical Assistance Grant program, please call 518-462-5658 or visit the League's website at www.preservenys.org.

Additional Contacts:

Tania Werbizky,

Regional Director of Technical and Grant Programs, Western New York

607-272-6510; twerbizky@preservenys.org

John Bach, Director of Institutional Advancement

Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute

315-797-0000 x2124; jbach@mwpai.edu

Posted Tuesday August 20, 2013 at 04:32 pm by Preservation League of New York State
Last Updated Wednesday August 28, 2013 at 12:38 pm