March 19, 2020
Dan Keefe | Brian Nearing (518) 486-1868 | news@parks.ny.gov
The New York State Board for
Historic Preservation has recommended adding 12 properties, including one
large historic district of over 1,800 buildings, to the State and National
Registers of Historic Places. The nominations reflect the striking diversity
of New York State's history, including the nationally significant Hudson
Valley studio of modern artist Al Held and the Buffalo factory that produced
the world famous Barca Lounger. "I applaud the owners and
caretakers of these properties for working to preserve New York's heritage,"
said Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation. "Securing this distinction for these properties will
help us to protect and appreciate New York's fascinating history." State and National Registers
listing can assist property owners in revitalizing buildings, making them
eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as
matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax
credits. Since the Governor signed legislation to bolster the state's use of
rehabilitation tax credits in 2013, the state and federal program has spurred
investment of billions of dollars in completed rehabilitations of historic
commercial properties and tens of millions invested in owner-occupied
historic homes. The State and National
Registers are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts,
landscapes, objects, and sites significant in the history, architecture,
archaeology and culture of New York State and the nation. There are more than
120,000 historic properties throughout the state listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic
districts. Property owners, municipalities and organizations from communities
throughout the state sponsored the nominations. Once the recommendations are
approved by the Commissioner, who serves as the State Historic Preservation
Officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic
Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where
they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register. More
information, with photos of the nominations, is available on the Office of
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website. Long Island Cerny's Bakery, Bohemia - The
bakery built in 1932 by Czech immigrant Josef Cerny and operated by his
descendants through the late 1990s is significant for its role as an
important business and social and cultural center in the predominantly
Czech community of Bohemia during the 20th century. Mid-Hudson Al Held Home and Studio,
Boiceville - The studio is nationally significant for its long and central
association with modern artist Al Held (1928-2005), who owned and used this
property from 1965 until his death. Best known as a pioneer of hard edge
abstraction, Held was one of the most ambitious American painters of the
mid-20th century. The large studio spaces in Boiceville allowed him to pursue
the kind of large-scale work he found so compelling. De Meyer-Burhans-Felten Farm,
Ulster - The intact Hudson Valley farm includes an 1836 stone house with a
later frame addition and a New World Dutch barn dating to the late 18th
century that are clustered in a natural landscape setting with the Catskill
Mountains as a backdrop. Deyo-DuBois House, Highland -
Built about 1778, the home is a distinctive example of a stone dwelling
constructed in the 18th-century regional tradition associated with Ulster
County's Huguenot-American heritage. Hardenbergh-Jenkins Farm -
The property represents the full evolution of a Hudson Valley farm from its
initial settlement in the mid-18th century with the construction a ca. 1750
New World Dutch barn and an 1831 residence designed in the Federal and Greek
Revival styles, to its preservation as a historic artifact in the late 20th
century. Hopewell Junction Depot,
Hopewell Junction - The Dutchess and Columbia Railroad (D&CRR)
constructed the depot in 1873 at a site where three railroad lines came
together, a place that soon became the focal point of the small but thriving
hamlet of Hopewell Junction. South Bay Mill, Hudson -
Built as a soap and candle factory in approximately 1860 near the city's
thriving Hudson River harbor trade, the mill saw a variety of industrial uses
in the ensuing decades, lastly as a large-scale electronic goods manufactory. Mohawk Valley Uptown Theatre, Utica - Built
in 1927, the neighborhood theater continued to show movies until 2012, making
it Utica's longest running movie theater. Two commercial storefronts in the
building, which continue in operation today, accommodated a variety of small
business operations over a long period of time, including a soda shop, bank,
bakery, antiques store, and jewelry store. New York City Bay Ridge Reformed Church,
Brooklyn - Built in 1896 by a congregation made up of the neighborhood's
older, Dutch families, the church is an impressive example of ecclesiastical
design with elements influenced by the Arts and Crafts, Medieval revival, and
Romanesque styles. Rugby Congregational Church,
Brooklyn - In 1907, as urbanization was spreading southward and eastward from
downtown Brooklyn, Rugby Congregational Church was formed by a group of
Anglo-American, German, and Scandinavian families. In response to its own
growth and that of the neighborhood, the congregation purchased a parsonage
and constructed the present church building between 1926-28. Western New
York University Heights-Summit
Park-Berkshire Terrace Historic District, Buffalo - The intact residential
suburban-style subdivision in Buffalo was built during a period of intense
development between 1893 and 1939. The announcement in 1909 that the
University at Buffalo would occupy the former Erie County Almshouse
immediately north of the district helped spark a massive wave of development
in an area that had been primarily farmland. Barcalo
Manufacturing Company Factory, Buffalo - Internationally recognized for its
BarcaLoafer and BarcaLounger furniture, popular reclining chairs that became
part of American pop culture, this company used the factory as its main
production facility and corporate headquarters for sixty-four years
(1899-1963). In addition to furniture, the company also produced hand tools
and forged metal goods. New York State Office of
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual
parks, historic sites, recreational trails and boat launches, which are
visited by 77 million people annually. A recent university study found that
spending by State Parks and its visitors support $5 billion in output and
sales, 54,000 private-sector jobs and more than $2.8 billion in additional
state GDP. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call
518-474-0456 or visit parks.ny.gov,
connect on Facebook, or
follow us on Twitter. |