Posts Tagged ‘Architecture’

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Historic Preservation Myths: It Cost Too Much

Town of Westport Town Hall courtesy Press-RepublicanThis is the last a four part series. You can find the first part here.

Historic preservation has a set of myths. Some originate from a grain of truth, many are outright wrong, and still others require a more nuanced understanding. We run across these myths all the time in our work and constantly push back against them through education, persuasion, and the wisdom of our own experiences. In this series, we take on the four most persistent and sometimes damaging myths in our field.

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, March 5, 2020

Historic Preservation Myths: Government Money

Homeowner Hannah Hanford at her home in Saranac Lake provided by AARCH

Myths pervade most aspects of life and they can be very persistent. Whether it’s “we only use 10% of our brain” or “George Washington had wooden teeth” these myths can be relatively harmless  – or they can really get in the way of true understanding and action.

Historic preservation has its own set of myths. Some originate from a grain of truth, many are outright wrong, and still others require a more nuanced understanding. » Continue Reading.


Monday, February 17, 2020

Embedawatt: Valuing What We Have

symbol for the Embedawatt as envisioned by AARCHA recent opinion piece in the New York Times targeted historic preservation as an out-of-touch field that negatively impacts communities, as well as a movement that does not support building a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly planet. Alongside the responses of my historic preservation colleagues, I’d like to respectfully disagree with the Times piece, too.

Of the dozens of ways that historic preservation makes communities more vibrant, humane, and sustainable, I’d like to highlight a little understood and little appreciated virtue and value of existing buildings – their embodied energy.

At Adirondack Architectural Heritage we’ve invented a word for this value – Embedawatt. » Continue Reading.


Friday, January 10, 2020

It’s Time for Great Camp Santanoni Winter Weekends

Newcomb’s Camp Santanoni hosts three winter weekends each year, which provide an opportunity for people to have access to the Great Camp buildings that are not open year-round. The first winter weekend is January 18-20, with the next two set for February 15-17, March 14-15.

Don’t forget the Great Camp Santanoni is always open to the public, but these Winter Weekends provide public access to the interior of the remaining historic buildings on the property as well as historical educational information. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, August 15, 2019

Adirondack Preservation Award Winners Announced

Dr Ferguson House in Glens Falls Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) is set to present its annual Preservation Awards on Monday, September 9 to six recipients that exemplify extraordinary stewardship of individual historic properties and ongoing preservation work in communities across the Adirondacks.

The recipients of the 2019 AARCH Preservation Awards are: » Continue Reading.


Sunday, August 11, 2019

Preserving Adirondack Architecture Program Planned

Victorian House courtesy Hadley-Lake Luzerne Historical SocietyThe Hadley-Lake Luzerne Historical Society is set to host a program entitled Preserving our Adirondack Architecture, with guest speaker Steven Englehart, Executive Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Horse and Carriage Blocks Had Many Uses (Conclusion)

Because of their intended function, horse blocks were accessible to anyone and there was no reason to guard them — except for one night of the year. Pranksters annually targeted them in several ways on Halloween: flipping them if they were too heavy to carry off, piling several on the property of an unsuspecting owner, or placing them in unusual locations, like in the middle of road intersections.

A drastic change in transportation technology — the automobile — marked the beginning of the end for horse travel and several related items that were present just about everywhere: horse blocks, hitching posts, and watering troughs. Progress required the removal of many horse blocks, which had become obstructions to pedestrians and were frequently struck by cars, sometimes causing fatalities. (Driving skills were seriously lacking early on, and there were few regulations, so accidents were common.) » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Once Common Horse Blocks Weren’t Just for Horses and Carriages

The most popular genre by far on nighttime television through the 1960s? Westerns. While children were allowed to watch some of them, several shows specifically geared towards the younger set were shown on Saturday morning. Watching heroes — Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger, and Zorro, three of the best — escape tense situations and catch bad guys was unforgettable.

Among the skills of any cowboy star (or stuntman stand-in) worth his salt were the hurried mounting and high-speed dismounting of horses (usually their own faithful steed, of course). It’s an impressive feat when you consider that horses are pretty high off the ground — which brings us to our main subject: how to get down off a horse. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Nominations Sought for Adirondack Preservation Awards

2018 AARCH Preservation Award WinnersAdirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), the historic preservation organization for the Adirondack Park region, has opened nominations for its 2019 Preservation Awards.

For over 23 years, this annual awards program has recognized the sensitive restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of historic structures throughout the region, and highlighted individuals who have promoted historic preservation revitalization efforts in their communities. The awards honor the preservation work of organizations, municipalities, and individuals who make the Adirondack region a better place to live, work, and visit. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, September 30, 2018

Camp Santanoni Receives Major Preservation Grant

Santanoni Main Lodge from Air by Jed ThoneOn September 23, the National Park Service announced the latest round of grant funding under its Save America’s Treasures program and Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), the private nonprofit historic preservation organization for the Adirondack region, received an award of $370,000 for conservation and restoration work at Camp Santanoni in the Essex County town of Newcomb.

This was one of only nine historic building conservation grants awarded nationally in this round, according to an announcement made by AARCH. » Continue Reading.


Friday, August 17, 2018

AARCH Homesteading Tour Embraces Modern Builders

For the first time, Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) is hosting a modern homesteading tour, according to Deputy Director Virgina Siskavich.

“We want to continue to embrace modern builders,” says Siskavich. “We feel that at some point these modern buildings will be a part of history and we want to remember them. We also want to continue to offer tours that have not been offered before.”

Additional AARCH tours are scheduled from May to October at a range of historic and modern locations. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Nominations Sought for 2018 Preservation Awards

valcour brewing coAdirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), the historic preservation organization for the region, has opened nominations for its 2018 Preservation Awards

These annual awards recognize sensitive restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of historic structures throughout the region, as well as individuals who have promoted historic preservation and community revitalization consistent with AARCH’s mission.  » Continue Reading.


Sunday, April 8, 2018

Bauer: Buildings on the Forest Preserve

The pressure by local governments and historic preservation groups on the state to keep the inner Gooley Club buildings shows some of the challenges the state has had in organizing a coherent management program for buildings on the Forest Preserve. This is not a new issue.

It’s been a struggle for decades. Different administrations have dealt with the issue in different ways over the decades; some making ad hoc choices with long-term implications for Forest Preserve law and policy, and others trying to sort out durable long-term solutions. This is the first of three articles that look in depth at the issue of buildings on the Forest Preserve. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, March 8, 2018

Great Camp Santanoni Talk In Albany Sunday

Portion of the principal Temple Tycoons Cemetery Yedo,Steven Engelhart is set to give a lecture on Camp Santanoni, a historic great camp located in Newcomb, on Sunday, March 11 at 2 pm at the Albany Institute of History & Art.

Engelhart is the Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage. This lecture will examine the influence of Japanese architecture on the construction of the camp, the Pruyn family of Albany, and the history of the use of Camp Santanoni. This lecture is open to the public and included with museum admission. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, January 7, 2018

AARCH Adds Educational Programs Director

Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) has announced that Valerie Pawlewicz has joined the AARCH staff as their new Educational Programs Director. An announcement form the historic preservation organization said she plans to focus on continuing and expanding AARCH’s educational programming including the popular series of summer tours throughout the Adirondack region.

Valerie Pawlewicz comes to AARCH with a background in educational travel planning, event coordination, oral history, and garden design. Valerie has worked for the Smithsonian Institution, the Baltimore Museum of Art, St. John’s College and on contract for the Maryland Historic Trust. » Continue Reading.



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