Nominations for the 2023 Preservation Awards are due May 1st

Nominations for The Landmark Society’s 2023 Preservation Awards program are open through Monday, May 1st, 2023. Our annual awards honor preservation advocates (individuals and organizations); practitioners of the traditional trades; adaptive reuse and rehabilitation projects; buildings; landscapes; and stewardship of historic properties. Past awardees include local, regional, and national preservation advocates; small businesses; commercial and religious buildings; houses and homeowners; monuments and statues; parks and gardens; craftspeople in a wide variety of disciplines; and more! We welcome nominations from Genesee, Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties. You may even nominate yourself or a preservation project you’ve been involved with (self-nominations are encouraged!)

The Landmark Society provides awards in up to eleven categories each year. Visit the link below to learn more about each category. Please keep in mind that you do not have to nominate a person or project for a specific award – the Preservation Awards Committee will review each nomination and determine which category is appropriate.

If you have any questions about the Preservation Awards program, please contact Becky Timmons at btimmons@landmarksociety.org or (585) 537-5962.

Thank you for attending the 2023 NY Statewide Preservation Conference

Last week, we gathered in Auburn with over 220 preservationists from around the state for the 2023 NY Statewide Preservation Conference. We took in downtown Auburn’s amazing architecture and discussed a wide range of topics, including: how to plan for upcoming NYS anniversaries; how to practice preservation in upstate’s small cities; the benefits of the Main Street Approach; and how preservation can help advance housing equity in our communities. Bonnie McDonald, President and CEO of Landmarks Illinois, gave an inspiring keynote that detailed the work her organization has been doing to build a more relevant and just preservation movement. Click here to learn more about the keynote. Also, it’s not too late to take Bonnie’s keynote poll. Please take this 1-minute poll to tell us about needed changes to preservation practice, or if you feel no change is necessary.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our Conference partners, sponsors, speakers, attendees, and our host community! We couldn’t put on the conference without you!

Save the date for the House & Garden Tour!

The 2023 House & Garden Tour will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 10th and 11th.  We’re especially excited about this year’s event, which will provide exclusive access to a neighborhood that has never before opened its doors to a Landmark House & Garden tour: Brighton Browncroft.

Tickets will go on sale the week of May 1st, so keep an eye out for our next e-newsletter for all the details!

Sacred Sites Tour - Tickets are limited!

Tickets are going fast!

The Sacred Sites tour on Sunday, May 21st, will include visits to five of greater Rochester’s most iconic houses of worship.  We will explore religious architecture that spans over 150 years, from Gothic Revival edifices to contemporary landmarks by noted architects Louis Kahn and James Johnson. The five sites include The Church of St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene (Episcopal) on S. Fitzhugh Street, St. Michael’s Catholic Church on N. Clinton Avenue, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on East Avenue, First Unitarian Church on S. Winton Road, and Temple Sinai on Penfield Road. Participants will drive between each tour stop, following a provided schedule of presentations with the first one starting at 1 pm and and the last one concluding at 5 pm. A team of experts will provide commentary at each stop: Joseph Kelly, Professor of Religious Studies (Emeritus) at Nazareth College, Christopher Brandt, Preservation Architect, and Cynthia Howk, Landmark Society Architectural Research Coordinator (retired.)

The Sunday, May 21st tour is strictly limited to 100 participants, so don’t hesitate to get your tickets, which also include a pre-tour lecture on Wednesday, May 17th.

Last chance to get airfare deals for Gems of Eastern Europe!

Don’t forget!  Mayflower Tours has extended the airfare deal for our upcoming Gems of Eastern Europe cruise on the Eastern Danube!  Join us for a 12-day trip (October 4-15, 2023) aboard a luxurious Emerald Waterways StarShip.  Visit five distinctive countries: Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania with expert guides and personal attention.  Rates start at $6,645 per person, depending on cabin selected. Reserve your spot with a deposit ASAP!

Rochester Brainery Spring Classes

There’s still room in several of our spring Architecture in the Wild classes with the Rochester Brainery. Join us on June 14th to explore the 19th Ward, and on June 22nd to learn about Maplewood’s Seneca Parkway. Our popular tours, led by members of the Young Urban Preservationists (YUPs), are a great way to learn more about Rochester’s architecture, whether you’re new to town or have been here for decades. You’re guaranteed to walk away with a new vocabulary and perhaps a new favorite style.

Want to learn more about the architects that designed some of the buildings you’ll see on our walking tours? Sign up for one (or both!) of our Rochester’s Great Architects classes (“The Rulemakers” on May 18th and “The Rulebreakers” on June 1st). These indoor classes will be held at our office in historic Warner Castle, and will provide you with fun facts, great visuals, and a bit of historical gossip! They’re the perfect complement to our walking tours.

A few more spots just opened up in the sold-out Landscape Architects of Rochester class on Monday, April 24th.  Snag one while you can!

Ellwanger Garden Open Weekends

Join us for two weekends in May and one in June!

The weekends of May 13th & 14th, May 20th and 21st, and June 3rd and 4th, Ellwanger Garden (625 Mt Hope Ave) will be open from 12-noon to 3pm. Look for signs directing to nearby off-site parking. In early June, enjoy old fashioned roses and gorgeous peonies. This perennial flower garden has been continuously cultivated since 1867, and boasts unusual plants that our volunteers and horticulture staff will be happy to point out! A $5 donation per person is appreciated to help maintain this historic landscape.

Upcoming Events

April 24th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Landscape Architects of Rochester” (few spots left!)

May 1st: Deadline to submit nominations for the 2023 Preservation Awards

May 13th & 14th / May 20th and 21st: Ellwanger Open Garden Days (Lilac Festival weekends)

May 15th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Exploring Downtown’s West Side” (SOLD OUT!!)

May 18th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Rochester’s Great Architects: The Rulemakers“

May 21st: Sacred Sites Tour

May 22nd: Volunteer Open House

May 23rd: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Maplewood’s Lake View Park” (SOLD OUT!)

June 1st: Rochester Brainery Class: “Rochester’s Great Architects: The Rulebreakers“

June 10th & 11th: 2023 House & Garden Tour (Saturday & Sunday) – Tickets on sale the week of May 1st.  Keep an eye on our website!)

June 14th: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Exploring the 19th Ward“

June 22nd: Rochester Brainery Class: “Architecture in the Wild: Maplewood’s Seneca Parkway“

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