Support the 2023 Annual Fund

December 13, 2023
6:28 pm

December 13, 2023
6:28 pm

Dear Friend of The Landmark Society,

Thank you for staying connected to The Landmark Society this year. Whether you attended an event, volunteered on our behalf, or read through our magazine, we value your continued interest in our mission. Our staff team has worked on many fronts, broadening our community preservation efforts and advocacy, and reaching more people through our programming. To meet the high demand for our services, we need your monetary support through a gift to our Annual Fund. Together, we can create a greater impact and help to preserve more of our region’s heritage through its built environment.

Here are some of The Landmark Society's 2023 Highlights:

Preservation and Advocacy

Completed 5 new National Register nominations and one district expansion/update, totaling 833 properties now listed and eligible for historic tax credit programs.
Assisted 7 homeowners with tax credit applications, submitted 2 Certificates of Appropriateness to the Rochester Preservation Board, responded to 120+ contractor requests, and provided numerous property owners with technical guidance through the Old House Help program.
Documented nearly 400 historic properties through a historic resources survey in the Town of Canandaigua, and a thematic survey of sites associated with Jewish history in the Rochester region.
Held the 2023 New York Statewide Preservation Conference in the city of Auburn, with 230 preservationists attending from New York State and beyond.
Supported the Beechwood and North Winton Village neighborhood residents advocating for preservation of the Lockwood-Alhart Cobblestone, the last remaining cobblestone house in the City of Rochester and a past Five to Revive property.
Held 17 classes—serving over 300 attendees—through our Young Urban Preservationists (YUPs) in collaboration with the Rochester Brainery. New offerings included a Women in Preservation and Design class and three new neighborhood walking tours.
Partnered with the Silver Lake Institute and podcaster and old house influencer, Stacy Grinsfelder (@blakehillhouse_ on Instagram) to provide a two-day wood window restoration workshop.
Began Phase II stabilization and rehab of Parrott Hall in Geneva with our partners in the Parrott Hall Coalition.
Expanded our staff with the addition of Dr. Jeff Iovannone, a recent graduate of Cornell’s Historic Preservation planning program and an expert in LGBTQ heritage conservation, as our newest Preservation Planner.

Programs and Tours

Launched our 2023 international Landmark Travels program with a sold-out trip for 60 guests down the Rhine River Gorge for a 10-day excursion that included stops in the spectacular Keukenhof Gardens at the peak of tulip season; Interlaken and Zurich Switzerland; The Black Forest of Germany; and Strasbourg, France.
Experienced Modernism Week in Palm Springs, California as 15 Landmark Travels guests enjoyed cocktails and dinner at the famed Sinatra Estate along with tours of the must-see residences of modernist architect Albert Frey, Canyon View Estates, and the Royal Hawaiian Estates, all while staying at the luxurious Parker Palm Springs Resort.
Hosted day trips to Buffalo’s Darwin Martin House, Cazenovia & Skaneateles, and Perry & the Wyoming County Fair in Pike.
Educated over 1,300 Rochester City School District students at Walk the Walk: Encounters with Rochester’s African American Ancestors; 15 classes of students for tours of the Stone-Tolan Historic Site; and groups from the Highland Park Conservancy, local garden clubs, and the University of Rochester Urban Fellows at Ellwanger Garden.
Welcomed over 500 guests to the Ellwanger Garden during the Lilac Festival; 900 people to the House & Garden Tour in the Brighton Browncroft neighborhood; 700 people to both the Inside Downtown Tour and October’s Ghost Walk; and 225 guests who toured the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Boynton House.

Volunteers, Projects & Fiscal Management

Thanked weekly volunteers who donated over 1,250 hours of their time to help The Landmark Society staff give tours or maintain the grounds of Ellwanger Garden and the Stone Tolan Historic Site including groups from Excellus, the Allyn’s Creek Garden Club, and the University of Rochester.
Completed numerous internal maintenance and infrastructure improvement projects to all of The Landmark Society’s properties to help ensure their integrity for years to come.
Submitted the organization’s annual audit which received a clean audit opinion from an external, independent accounting firm.

We need your support to continue this work. Every dollar makes a difference.

Best wishes and thank you, in advance for your thoughtful contribution.