The Preservation League of New York State has selected The New York Botanical Garden to receive an award for Organizational Excellence in Historic Preservation.
The League’s statewide awards program honors notable achievements in retaining, promoting and reusing New York State’s irreplaceable architectural heritage.
Over the years, The New York Botanical Garden has benefited from the leadership of a number of firms and individuals, including Lord & Burnham, Calvert Vaux, Olmsted Brothers, Beatrix Farrand and Laurie Olin.
Four key efforts illustrate the Garden’s dedication to preservation according to the League: the restoration of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in 1997; the expansion and restoration of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library in 2002; the restoration of the Lillian and Amy Goldman Stone Mill and historic landscape in 2010; and the restoration of more than 150 acres of historic landscapes and living collections over some three decades.
The Botanical Garden has completed three 7-year strategic plans (1993–1999, 2001–2007, and 2009–2015). To fund the strategic initiatives called for in these plans, such as the key efforts listed above, as well as ongoing operations, $1.1 billion has been raised for “America’s Garden.” Eighty percent of that was from the private sector. The balance has been government funding for capital projects. These projects have revitalized the 250-acre museum of plants and have transformed it as a cultural attraction, research institution, center for education and publications, and community resource.
The award was presented at the Preservation League’s Awards Ceremony in New York City on May 9th at the New York Yacht Club.
For more information, visit Preservation League of New York State’s website.
Photo of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden courtesy Robert Benson Photography.
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