photo by: Joe Cascio
Erin Grajek, Botanical Gardens; Jennifer Kensy, Foit-Albert Associates; Greg Carballada, Foit-Albert Associates; Bryce Bixby, Foit-Albert Associates; Joe DiDomenico, Botanical Gardens
Seventeen for ‘17!
A total of seventeen nominations for the 2017 Preservation Awards were submitted for historic homes, buildings,and districts around Western New York.
“These awards highlight the achievements of community restorations as a vital component of the Western New York renaissance”, said Jessie Fisher, PBN Executive Director. We look forward to bringing continued recognition of our architectural heritage for many generations to come!”
This year’s award winners are:
Outstanding Commercial Project: Turner Brothers Lofts: Located at 295 Niagara Street, the project consists of five formerly vacant interconnected historic brownfield structures that have been redeveloped into 40 market-rate apartments, a restaurant, and a gourmet food wholesale production space. This project was made possible by architect Jake Schneider of Schneider Development, LLC.
Outstanding Residential Project: 656 Lafayette Ave: Designed by Buffalo architect William Johnson and built in 1898, this house includes various late Victorian and Arts & Crafts elements including numerous bay windows, deep overhanging eves, brick and shingle siding and a steep side-gabled roof with prominent dormers. This project was made possible by homeowners, Tom and Melina Scime,whom have owned the Lafayette Avenue home since 1982.
Community Service: International Chimney Inc.: Their pro bono feasibility study for 907 Michigan Avenue’s relocation seeks to retain the 19th Century workman’s cottage, also known as a telescoping house, while working in close collaboration with citywide efforts to retain the character of the Fruit Belt neighborhood, as residents continue to cope with rapid changes in the adjacent Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus. Additional support for this project was made possible by the Fruit Belt/McCarley Gardens Housing Task Force and the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor.
Outstanding Public Building Project: Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens: Botanical Gardens: Houses 2 and 3 contain the iconic waterfall and Koi pond area, some of the most popular attractions at the Botanical Gardens.
Outstanding Public Building Project: The U.S. Customhouse: The City of Niagara Falls, which boasts a landmark tourist attraction, relocated the city’s existing Amtrak passenger terminal to a site at the United States-Canadian border near the base of the Whirlpool Rapids International Passenger and Rail Bride.
Neighborhood Conservation: Richardson Olmsted Campus Core Project: The transformation of the Richardson Olmsted Campus is a key part of the Elmwood Arts Corridor, the regeneration of the West Side and Black Rock neighborhoods, and Buffalo's overall economic and cultural revival. This project was made possible by the Richardson Center Corporation, which received state funding shortly after its establishment in 2006.
Preservation Craft: Buffalo Architectural Casting: In 2014, Buffalo Architectural Casting completed restoration work at the Gowanda Hollywood Theater, a historic landmark on both the New York State and National registries.
Outstanding Personal Contribution: Monica Pellegrino Faix: As Executive Director of the Richardson Center Corporation, Monica Pellegrino Faix has been key to the transformation of the Richardson Olmsted Campus.
Outstanding Personal Contribution: Steve Karnath: As Executive Director of Broadway Fillmore Neighborhood Housing Services, Steve Karnath is a passionate advocate and champion for historic preservation in the Broadway-Fillmore area.
Education, Outreach, & Planning: Interpretive Center at the Guaranty Building: The Guaranty Building Interpretive Center provides a space in one of North America’s most meticulously preserved buildings that documents its importance as a landmark in the development of the uniquely American first generation of tall buildings.
People’s Choice: Greetings from Buffalo: Casey William Milbrand’s mural takes inspiration from other cities’ murals, vintage postcards, and Buffalo’s own architectural history.
The Award Ceremony will be hosted at the brand-new Hotel Henry at 444 Forest Avenue on Thursday September 7th at 6:00 PM. The event is open to the public, and tickets may be obtained through our website <www.preservationbuffaloniagara.org>.
For more information regarding this event, or to learn more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities, please contact Olivia Cammisa-Frost at ocammisa-frost@pbnsaves.org, or (716) 852-3300.
Press Release: July 11, 2017
Contact: Membership and Education Director Olivia Cammisa-Frost,
(716) 852-3300, or ocammisa-frost@pbnsaves.org