The Preservation League of New York State has selected the Build a Better Burb website, a project of the Rauch Foundation in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, to receive an award for 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.
“An offshoot of the Long Island Index, this website asks ordinary people to imagine more vibrant and sustainable communities on Long Island,” said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. “We hope that the site can serve as a model for other communities around the state and nation, and are pleased to honor the exemplary work of the Rauch Foundation and the Long Island Index.”
Contributing to the success of this project were Nancy Douzinas, President, Rauch Foundation; Ann Golob, Director, Long Island Index, Rauch Foundation; Jocelyn Wenk, AICP, Associate Director, Long Island Index, Rauch Foundation.
The website offers advice on how to preserve streetscapes and re-use historic buildings to provide new types of housing, from both a local and regional perspective. Key areas explored on the site include housing, transit, regional planning and sense of place. It encourages and facilitates the incorporation of historic preservation into the broader discussion of reshaping Long Island’s built environment.
“Long Island will only be a region that creates a home for future generations and a reinvigorated economy if we are willing to be bold – to try what we haven't tried before and most importantly, to learn from our past,” said Nancy Rauch Douzinas, president of the Rauch Foundation and publisher of the Long Island Index which created the Build a Better Burb website. “Doing what we have been doing in the recent past will not work. Yet we have these historic downtowns from which to learn. These village centers have defined our architectural styles and in the past they were the place to provide exactly the kind of housing that we need today for our young people and to create more economically diverse communities. Many other regions are adapting, trying new ideas, building differently. We have so much to learn just by understanding what has worked here in our not so distant past.”
The awards will be presented at the Preservation League’s Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony in New York City at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16th at the historic New York Yacht Club, 37 West 44th Street.
The complete list of award winners is: the Albany County Courthouse, Albany County; Annex Mills at High Falls, Monroe County; The Eastman Theatre, Monroe County; Amsterdam Armory, Montgomery County; Hamilton Grange National Memorial, New York County; Niagara Mohawk Building, Onondaga County; TWA Flight Center, JFK International Airport, Queens County; Christ Church Bronxville, Westchester County. The organizers of the 2011 National Preservation Conference in Buffalo will receive a special citation. “Build a Better Burb,” a project of the Rauch Foundation in Nassau and Suffolk Counties will be honored as an outstanding publication. Corning Enterprises in Steuben County will be honored for organizational excellence.
“In New York State, the preservation and reuse of our historic buildings is fundamental to the economic revitalization of our cities, towns, and villages. The League’s annual Awards program allows us to share preservation success stories that may one day serve as inspiration to others,” said DiLorenzo. “Each year, we are impressed by the number and variety of laudable nominations, and this year was no exception. We are delighted to celebrate the Build a Better Burb website, and to give this resource the statewide recognition it deserves.”
The Preservation League’s Excellence in Historic Preservation awards program is funded by a generous grant from the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation.
By leading a statewide preservation movement, sharing information and expertise and raising a unified voice, the Preservation League of New York State promotes historic preservation as a tool to revitalize our neighborhoods and communities, honor our heritage and enrich our lives.
