Architecture

Controversy Over Development At New York’s Seaport Historic District

January 21, 2021 by James S. Kaplan Leave a Comment

On January 5th, 2021, the City of New York’s Landmarks Preservation Commission held a virtual public hearing at which more than a hundred people testified about Howard Hughes Corporation’s proposal to build a 47-story residential building at 250 Water Street in Lower Manhattan, at the heart of the South Street Seaport Historic District.

Fights over the appropriateness of tall buildings in Historic Districts are not unusual in the City of New York, but this one is uniquely centered on the purposes of historic preservation and the role cultural institutions play in helping to build and sustain communities, and themselves. [Read more…] about Controversy Over Development At New York’s Seaport Historic District

The Gasholder House: A Troy Landmark

December 30, 2020 by Suzanne Spellen Leave a Comment

There are only eleven gasholder houses left in the United States. Troy has the largest, and one of the finest examples of this type of 19th century utility storage facility. [Read more…] about The Gasholder House: A Troy Landmark

Comments Sought On Removal of Historic Adirondack Camp

December 13, 2020 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have announced a 60-day joint public comment period on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for the Debar Mountain Complex (DMC) Draft Unit Management Plan and a proposal to reclassify approximately 41 acres of the Wild Forest as Intensive Use.

The plan would also demolish and remove a rustic 1940s Adirondack camp at the north end of Debar Pond that is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. [Read more…] about Comments Sought On Removal of Historic Adirondack Camp

Upstate Historians Shine Light On A Noted Black Architect

November 20, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Greece Historical Society (GHS) is the recipient of two grants totaling $30,000 to fund a Cultural Resource Survey of the architecture of noted Rochester African American architect Thomas W. Boyde, Jr.

The grants were awarded by the Preservation League of New York State and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Rochester Area Community Foundation. [Read more…] about Upstate Historians Shine Light On A Noted Black Architect

Preservation League Excellence Award Winners 2020

November 20, 2020 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The Preservation League of NYS has announced this year’s Excellence in Historic Preservation Award winners. The Excellence in Historic Preservation Awards recognize notable achievements in historic preservation throughout New York State. [Read more…] about Preservation League Excellence Award Winners 2020

The Hudson River’s Fortress of Shoddy in Troy

November 16, 2020 by Suzanne Spellen 4 Comments

Driving north on I-787 approaching Troy you can see an iconic building – a tall red brick building with turrets that looks like a fortress.

It’s at 1 Jackson Street. What I like to call the Fortress of Shoddy. [Read more…] about The Hudson River’s Fortress of Shoddy in Troy

Concrete, Plywood and Soviet Spies

November 15, 2020 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

In fiction, poetry or song, houses are treated as living organisms. They are noble, respectable, or infamous. There are houses of high rank and those of low repute – houses have human characteristics and their individual biographies.

The Isokon Building in Hampstead tells a striking tale of recent historical events. At the time of completion, it was one of the few modernist dwellings in London’s cityscape; the block of flats housed a number of notable refugees from Nazi Germany; almost simultaneously it served as a recruitment office for Soviet spies. Crucial aspects of post-war American cultural and political developments originated in a few flats in this leafy corner of North West London. [Read more…] about Concrete, Plywood and Soviet Spies

New Book: Buffalo at the Crossroads

November 7, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.

The new book Buffalo at the Crossroads: The Past, Present, and Future of American Urbanism (Cornell University Press, 2020), edited by Peter H. Christensen, is an introduction to Buffalo’s architecture and developed landscape, featuring essays by twelve authors. [Read more…] about New Book: Buffalo at the Crossroads

State Proposes Removal of Historic DeBar Lodge Great Camp For Day Use Area

November 6, 2020 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

The NYS Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are holding a joint public comment period on plans to tear down a rustic 1940s Adirondack camp at the north end of Debar Pond that is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

The camp commands a view of DeBar Pond and the adjacent mountains which frame the water. The main lodge is a rambling two-story rustic building by architect Saranac Lake architect William Distin. The site also includes a guide/caretaker house, and several barns and outbuildings. [Read more…] about State Proposes Removal of Historic DeBar Lodge Great Camp For Day Use Area

Survey Underway of Rochester African-American Architect’s Buildings

November 3, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Thomas W. Boyde, Jr. is Rochester’s foremost African American architect. He was a master of Mid-Century Modern home design and did significant work designing buildings for communities of color and the low-income communities.

Many of Boyde’s projects no longer exist or have been severely altered. [Read more…] about Survey Underway of Rochester African-American Architect’s Buildings