Architecture

Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s Once-in-a Century Renovation

January 13, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS) has announced the award of a $500,000 grant by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The grant will support work to restore and protect the infrastructure of the 147-year-old Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s primary building.

Work includes replacing its flat roof, mansard slate side roofs, gutters, and downspouts, all designed to eliminate damaging, ongoing water intrusion. In addition, a new staircase from the dock up to the building’s deck will increase and expand access and safety. Installation of an upgraded marine toilet and cistern repairs are also part of plan. [Read more…] about Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s Once-in-a Century Renovation

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Gets $2M Facilities Gift

January 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A $2 million gift recently received by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies will support the transformation of its Millbrook, Dutchess County, NY headquarters.

A two-year capital campaign was launched in 2020 to raise funds to re-imagine the headquarters. Staff at the Cary Institute are experts in the ecology of cities, freshwaters, forests, infectious diseases, and the impact of climate change on ecological systems. The gift will allow Cary Institute to surpass its original public fundraising goal. [Read more…] about Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Gets $2M Facilities Gift

Rochester Architecture Book Wins Modernism Award

January 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Architecture of James H. Johnson (Primedia eLaunch, 2020), a historic resource survey and book about the life and work of Rochester architect James H. Johnson (1932-2016), was recognized with a Docomomo US 2021 Modernism in America Award last month in New York City.

Spurred by the loss of one of his key buildings, Our Lady of Mercy Rectory (Greece) in 2013, The Architecture of James H. Johnson is the first in-depth study and documentation of Johnson, whose well-known projects include Rochester’s Liberty Pole, the Mushroom House (Perinton), St. John the Evangelist Church (Greece), and Temple Sinai (Brighton). [Read more…] about Rochester Architecture Book Wins Modernism Award

Adirondack Architectural Heritage Awarded $10k

December 26, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) has announced a grant award totaling $10,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the recovery of the nonprofit arts and culture sector. [Read more…] about Adirondack Architectural Heritage Awarded $10k

1849 Christmas In Burnt Hills’ New Gothic Church

December 24, 2021 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Christmas is a time for great celebration, but 1849 was a year of a very special celebration for the new members of the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church in Burnt Hills, Saratoga County, NY.

December 25, 1849 was the first time they were all able to meet together in their own church building, a carpenter gothic style edifice which had just been constructed at a cost of $2,500 The building was located right in the heart of Burnt Hills and situated on Lakehill Road, a street that in later years was renowned for its overarching trees that formed a canopy above the street. [Read more…] about 1849 Christmas In Burnt Hills’ New Gothic Church

The Haverstraw Brick Museum (Podcast)

December 22, 2021 by Clare Sheridan Leave a Comment

On the December 2021 episode of “Crossroads of Rockland History,” host Clare Sheridan interviewed Rachel Whitlow, the acting Executive Director of the Haverstraw Brick Museum and Center for Historic Preservation.

They discussed the Museum’s new innovation series of exhibitions; interesting collaborations with organizations, including the Pratt School of Architecture; and the museum’s goal to engage the community through history, STEAM education, and hands-on living history experiences. [Read more…] about The Haverstraw Brick Museum (Podcast)

Whitcomb’s Garage in the Adirondacks Wins Historic Preservation Award

December 1, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Whitcomb’s Garage in the Adirondacks has won a 2021 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of NYS.

The renovation and repurposing of this disused service station and garage has created space for new businesses in an economically challenged rural region. [Read more…] about Whitcomb’s Garage in the Adirondacks Wins Historic Preservation Award

Elmira Rehabilitation Project Wins Historic Preservation Award

November 28, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Arbor Gerard Block & Carroll Street Warehouse Rehabilitation Project in Elmira, Chemung County, NY, has won a 2021 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of NYS.

Arbor Development’s adaptive reuse of three historic industrial buildings into affordable housing is a boon to the Elmira community. The three-story buildings at 118-126 Lake Street and 414-418 Carroll Street went from being vacant to providing 28 residential units, 5 storefronts, 8 artist studios, and an art gallery. [Read more…] about Elmira Rehabilitation Project Wins Historic Preservation Award

Preservation Buffalo Niagara Recognized By Preservation League of NYS

November 27, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Preservation Buffalo Niagara has won a 2021 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of NYS.

The Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier and the Preservation Coalition of Erie County merged in 2009 to become Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN), building on their 30-year history to ensure that the Buffalo region would have a strong, effective, and professional preservation organization. [Read more…] about Preservation Buffalo Niagara Recognized By Preservation League of NYS

Mycelium Brick & Fungal Homes: Much Room, No Mushrooms

November 26, 2021 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

For some reason, mushrooms have spawned more than their fair share of puns. As a kid I learned that they’re all fun-guys, and that the only rooms you can’t enter in a house are mushrooms. The last one might not work these days, as entire buildings are now being made of fungus.

Given that mold inside our homes can make us ill, you wouldn’t think that being surrounded by the stuff would be a great idea. But just like so many other things in life, “it depends.” As a building material, fungus is cheap, ubiquitous, and a renewable resource. But that’s not the best part. By dry weight, walls made of fungus are stronger than concrete and have better insulation value than polyurethane foam.

They are weather-proof, practically non-combustible, and oddly enough, resist getting moldy. [Read more…] about Mycelium Brick & Fungal Homes: Much Room, No Mushrooms