Preservation Awards Announcement

The Awards Committee is excited to announce the 2022 Preservation Awards, which were presented in a private ceremony earlier this month.  A recording of the ceremony is available on our website, along with descriptions of each of our awards and recipients.  This year’s awards honored projects, buildings, and individuals from our region and beyond, representing Monroe, Oswego, Livingston, Wayne, Yates, Ontario, Erie, and Orleans County. Congratulations to all, and a special thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, The Innovating Edge.

The Barber Conable Award, our premiere award, was given to Bent’s Opera House in the Village of Medina, Orleans County. Owners Roger Hungerford and Heather Farnsworth were recognized for the large-scale rehabilitation of the 1865 Bent’s Opera House, a historic performance venue that by 2010 was in danger of collapse. A 3.5 year effort by a skilled project team (Talis Equity, Le Chase Construction, Talis Historic Restoration, Kideney Architects, and Preservation Studios) breathed life back into all three floors of the building. The first floor now houses a restaurant and private dining space; the second floor is a boutique hotel with ten uniquely designed rooms; and the third floor has been restored to an elegant performance and event space.  With this restoration, Medina natives Roger and Heather returned this Medina landmark to its historic role as a community gathering space that will serve the village for years to come.

Tomorrow is the last day to get your tickets for the Annual Jubilee!

Only a few more days to get your tickets for The Landmark Society’s Annual Jubilee, back after a two year hiatus!

This year’s Jubilee will take place on Saturday, December 3rd, 2022 from 5:00 to 9:00 PM at the historic Wilder Room on East Avenue. Come enjoy live music by Bob Sneider Trio and entertainment by Avi Pryntz-Nadworny, a world renowned circus artist from Rochester. The Jubilee will also have a full bar, delicious hors d’oeuvres, a plated dinner (four delicious menu choices), and exciting silent auction experiences.  Ticket sales end THIS Friday, November 18th, so be sure to get yours today!!

ROC the Day is right around the corner!

On Tuesday, November 29th, our community will come together for the annual ROC The Day giving event, powered by United Way. ROC the Day is a 24-hour giving opportunity to support not-for-profits in the nine-county Greater Rochester area. On November 29th, be sure to visit ROCtheDay.org, a secure online giving platform, to contribute to any participating organization.  All money given during ROC the Day stays local.

Last year we raised $1,177, and this year we hope to DOUBLE that amount!!  Your ROC the day 2022 contributions help support our work to create training opportunities in the Traditional Trades.

Our region has one of the largest collections of historic housing stock in the nation. With most preservation craftspeople approaching retirement, we face an impending labor crisis. Additionally, extreme poverty in the city of Rochester and surrounding rural counties demonstrate a clear need for workforce development and quality, well-paying jobs.

That’s why we are working to foster new training opportunities in the traditional trades. Our Windows Workforce Pilot Training program will provide job readiness skills and paid, intensive training in historic wood window repair so that we can begin to develop a new and diverse generation of skilled craftspeople.

Your ROC the Day support—at any amount—will make a difference.

NYS Historic Preservation Awards - Congratulations to Cynthia Howk!

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s 2022 NYS Historic Preservation Awards will be held on Thursday, December 8th at 2:30pm at the Huxley Theater at the New York State Museum in Albany, New York. We are thrilled that Cynthia Howk, who retired from The Landmark Society in 2021, will be honored at this year’s awards. In her role as Architectural Research Coordinator at Landmark, Cynthia demonstrated a remarkable capacity to learn and share information, to mentor historic preservationists of all backgrounds, and to create countless positive ripples throughout the field with her positive attitude and enthusiasm for her work. She will be presented with an award in honor of her rich and influential career.

The award ceremony will follow the quarterly meeting of the New York State Board for Historic Preservation, and is free to attend. RSVPs are required by December 1st.  Email Aine.Leader-Nagy@parks.ny.gov or call (518) 268-2174 for more information and to RSVP.

White (Canadian) Christmas

White Christmas is a beloved holiday musical as well as a state of mind. Join this Small Group Curated Tour to kick off your holiday season with not only the Shaw Production of White Christmas, but also the charm and beauty of Canada’s Niagara region to put you in that White Christmas state of mind. We will be treated like royalty at the Victorian era Prince of Wales hotel in the heart of the historic district of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Lavishly decorated for the holidays, the Prince of Wales, will also host our traditional English tea in the lovely Drawing Room and lunch in the warm, inviting Churchill Pub. Our excursions to Niagara Falls include the Annual Poinsettia Show at the Floral Showhouse and the amazing Winter Festival of Lights. With gourmet meals, shopping, spa, and even ice skating at your fingertips, this is the perfect trip to get you into the holiday spirit. There are only 12 spaces available, so register soon!

Genesee Valley Park Update

Earlier this year, Rochester’s Genesee Valley Park was added to the Preservation League of New York State’s 2022-2023 “Seven to Save” list. This list highlights the most at-risk historic places across the state. This listing helped draw attention to a proposal by the University of Rochester to clear a portion of the park’s woodland buffer to create a warehouse and paved loading area. Advocates for this Frederick Law Olmsted-designed landscape, including The Landmark Society and other members of Rochester’s Olmsted Parks Alliance, were strongly opposed to the plan. It would have resulted in irremediable loss of scenic quality and the destruction of key viewsheds.

In October, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) released Landslide 2022: The Olmsted Design Legacy, a report that features twelve parks, parkways, park systems, subdivisions, institutions, and plans all designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., the firm he founded, and its successor firms. Genesee Valley Park is highlighted as one of only two metropolitan park systems designed and planned by all three Olmsteds. The twelve Olmsted places featured in Landslide 2022 are considered threatened for a variety of reasons, and the report reiterates the same concerns that prompted the Seven to Save listing.

In response to Landslide 2022, the University of Rochester sent a letter to TCLF that said the University had “decided against locating [their] operations center building” in the section of the park that was considered threatened. The letter also noted the University’s “strong commitment to the preservation of Genesee Valley Park.” While this is good news, TCLF still has reservations about the University’s guidelines for future planning in a historically significant site.  As stated by TCLF, the door is still open for future development, and the University has not responded to all of TCLF’s concerns about the stewardship of the park.

We are grateful to the Preservation League and TCLF for drawing attention to this important piece of Rochester’s landscape history, and will continue to advocate for the preservation of Genesee Valley Park and other Olmsted-designed parks in our region.

5 Castle Park, Rochester, NY 14620
PHONE: (585) 546-7029 x10 · FAX: (585) 546-4788