Category: Advocacy

Historic Homeowner Tax Credit Advocacy Alert – From the Preservation League of New York State

 

Historic Homeowner Tax Credit (S4057A Fahy/A5453 Woerner)

As of January 1, 2025, the homeowner portion of the NYS Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program stepped down significantly in value from a maximum of $50,000 per project to $25,000. Additionally, the rebate provision of the credit, which has been so helpful to those homeowners without the state tax liability to accept the full value of the credit and instead receive it as a rebate, has been allowed to expire.

In response, there has been introduced in the NYS Legislature a bill that would restore the Homeowner Credit to its pre-January 1, 2025, value. In the Senate it is bill S4057A sponsored by Senator Patricia Fahy and in the Assembly it is A5453 sponsored by Assemblymember Carrie Woerner (click the links to read the full legislation and see the current list of co-sponsors).

Because tax credits have a fiscal impact on New York State, it is likely that any fix to the tax credit program will have to be a part of the FY27 Budget now being negotiated in Albany. For it to be included, legislators will need to sign on as co-sponsors of the legislation and request that leadership include the bill’s language in the final FY27 Budget.

Please reach out to your legislators now and ask them to co-sponsor S4057A Fahy/A5453 Woerner and tell leadership it is time to restore the Homeowner Tax Credit.

Click here for a fact sheet on the legislation for you to share.

Help us spread the word: You can find all of this information on our website here.

Not sure who your elected representatives are? Click here to find your NYS Senator and here to find your NYS Assemblymember.

For more information or if questions arise, please reach out to League President Jay DiLorenzo via email at jdilorenzo@preservenys.org.

The Vaux Barn Is A Local Landmark!

We have great news in our local landmark making efforts!

As of 2:37pm today on April 15th, 2025, the Vaux Barn Local Landmark has been APPROVED!!!! Thank you to the Buffalo Common Council for moving this forward. We are thrilled! You can read about our multi-year effort to complete this local landmark application here. 

Local landmarking is a special preservation tool because it ensures the Buffalo Preservation Board will oversee any exterior changes made therefore adding an important layer of protection to our most historic sites across Buffalo.

Buffalo has a long history of great architects coming to Buffalo and showing off their best work. Calvert Vaux came to Buffalo with Frederick Law Olmsted, and together, they designed the Olmsted Parks and Parkway System that we cherish today. Vaux has one remaining structure he designed left – this barn. We are thankful to the Buffalo Common Council for agreeing with us that it is indeed local landmark worthy. We are excited to see what the future holds for the Vaux Barn!

Bernice Radle, Executive Director of Preservation Buffalo Niagara.

December Preservation Advocacy & Fundraiser Dates!

Our December Events Calendar is PACKED! We have advocacy, education, art, and exercise (bowling!) this month! See our events below.

Local Landmark Hearings at the City of Buffalo Preservation Board – 12/19

Join us at City Hall on 12/19 at 3 pm (Room 902) to support and advocate for the local landmark applications for St. Martin of Tours, All Saints, St. Michaels, and the Brewers Hill Historic District. These hearings are open to the public and each application will be reviewed and decided on by the City of Buffalo Preservation Board. If the applications are approved, they will go onto the Buffalo Common Council for a decision in early 2025.

Can’t come? Send an email of support to info@pbnsaves.org.  The email doesn’t have to be long or include fancy language – just a reminder that our history matters and we want to celebrate and protect it.

Do you own a historic home in a historic district – join us on 12/19? (Elmwood, Allentown, Hamlin Park & More)

Join us on 12/19 for our Historic Homeowner Tax Credit Workshop! This virtual event is FREE and will have Tom Yots from Preservation Studios and Francis Stern from SHPO available to answer questions. We will review the application process and discuss what repairs and rehab work qualify for the tax credit. Let us help you save money on those repairs for 2025!

Sign up for the Zoom link here: https://secure.everyaction.com/VlfjhbBM50e_nloAdqTLxQ2

Preservation in Focus: Photography From The 2024 Tour Season at the Richardson Campus.

Join us on Friday, December 20th from 6pm – 8pm in the Lipsey Architecture Center at 444 Forest Ave. Buffalo NY.  This event is free but we ask that you sign up here so we have a proper headcount for refreshments!

Bowling & Pierogi: A FUNdraiser for Preservation

Buy your tickets here! 
Bowling & Pierogi: A Fundraiser for Corpus Christi & Preservation Buffalo Niagara
🗓 When: Saturday, December 28, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
📍 Where: Bowling: Corpus Christi Church Athletic Club –165 Sears Street, Polonia District, Buffalo, New York
Tours: Corpus Christi Church — 199 Clark St, Buffalo, NY 14212
Step back in time and bowl on Corpus Christi’s vintage bowling lanes, which are now open for the first time in years! Your ticket includes a guided tour of this stunning church, a game of bowling, shoe rental, and a serving of Babcia’s Pierogi.
Extras:
🍽 Babcia’s Pierogi will have additional food available for purchase.
🎨 A craft table will keep the kids entertained while you enjoy the event.
Proceeds support both Corpus Christi Church and Preservation Buffalo Niagara’s vital work.
Team Bowling: Have a group of 4 or more? Email Emily@pbnsaves.org to reserve your lane, as there are limited lanes available (first come, first served).
Join us for an afternoon of fun, food, and preservation in action. See you there!

NYSCA Announces $25,000 Grant Award to PBN!

Preservation Buffalo Niagara awarded $25,000 by the New York State Council on the Arts  

Buffalo, NY – Preservation Buffalo Niagara announced today a grant award totaling $25,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the nonprofit arts and culture sector. Through New York State’s continued investment in arts and culture, NYSCA has awarded $82 million this year to 509 artists and 1,497 organizations across the state.  

“As the unparalleled leader of arts and culture, New York’s creativity and innovation inspires the world,” Governor Hochul said. “Our continued investment in our dynamic creative sector will further boost tourism, strengthen our local economies and continue New York’s success as a rich and vibrant place to live, work and visit.” 

Executive Director of NYSCA Erika Mallin said, “On behalf of the Council and staff, I am so proud that we are supporting the critical work of so many nonprofit organizations all across the state, including the work of Preservation Buffalo Niagara. New York State’s art and culture nonprofits make us a global leader, strengthening our connections to each other and the larger world. I thank you for your dedication and service and look forward to all your work in the coming year.”  

About the New York State Council on the Arts 

The mission of the New York State Council on the Arts is to foster and advance the full breadth of New York State’s arts, culture, and creativity for all. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, the Council on the Arts will award $162 million in FY2025, serving organizations and artists across all 10 of the state’s regions. The Council on the Arts further advances New York’s creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. 

Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature, the Council is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA’s Facebook page, on X @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.