We are excited to celebrate the people behind this year’s most inspiring preservation projects at the 2025 Preservation Awards. Join us on Thursday, May 29, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at The Caz (2221 Seneca Street) to celebrate the region’s most impactful preservation projects at Preservation Buffalo Niagara’s largest fundraiser of the year.
Please note: The Caz will stay open until 8:30 PM for the Afterparty! Enjoy great company and live music for an extra hour — Thank you, Jake!!
For more information on the Preservation Awards, please click here.
To purchase tickets for the Preservation Awards, please click here.
Tiny Cottage, Big Vision: Emerging Preservationist Award Winner Lindsay DeDario
When news broke that the Robert Moses Expressway in Niagara Falls was going to be removed, it became clear that homes once facing a highway would soon be nestled along two world-class parks, trails, and a meadow. Lindsay DeDario said. “It would be a quiet, tranquil, and beautiful place to spend time, and views once reserved only for cars traveling 60 mph were going to be for people once again.”
As someone who is always believed in the untapped potential of Niagara Falls, Lindsay decided to put her preservation values into practice. She began monitoring the local real estate market for just the right project—something modest and meaningful, that could both honor the past and contribute to the future of the city she loves.
The first property she toured was too ambitious: big, overwhelming, and wrong for her hands-on approach. But during that visit, she spotted something that changed everything—a row of tiny 1800s cottages tucked away in an alley. “When one of THOSE went on the market… that would be go time,” she said.
And sure enough, one did.
What she purchased was a 730-square-foot time capsule—vacant for nearly a decade and packed with layers of paneling, wallpaper, squirrels, mice, broken furniture, and a whole lot of potential. “But it was crawling distance to the park, just a few minutes on a bike to see a wonder of the world. And — it deserved so much love.”
Lindsay’s work has been thoughtful and meticulous, always with preservation at the forefront. Highlights of the project so far include:
- Opening up the floor plan between the living room and kitchen.
- Removing multiple layers of drop ceilings to reveal original beams.
- Restoring and installing a tiny mahogany Chris-Craft boat door (sourced from ReUse Action) to access the attic crawlspace.
- Renovating the kitchen with insulation, a wainscoting ceiling, new doors, a new window, a range hood, and a cozy breakfast nook.
- Sanding and sealing original wood floors.
- Adding a hidden hatch door to the basement – “It was WIDE open to the primary bedroom before,” Lyndsay said, “Terrifying…”
- Installing modern electric and lighting where needed
- Extending a bedroom window into a large picture window facing the woods
The work continues, with plans for a front deck and a side patio in the near future. She’s even holding off on replacing the kitchen and bathroom floors—aware that preservation also means using materials wisely and sustainably.
For her dedication, creativity, and commitment to reimagining historic homes on a human scale, we are proud to honor Lindsay DeDario as this year’s Emerging Preservationist. Her project proves that preservation doesn’t have to be grand to be transformative—it can start with one small cottage, a vision, and a whole lot of love.
