Preservation Awards 2019

2019 Preservation Awards Outstanding Project (over 10,000 SF):

Northland Workforce Training Center The Northland Workforce Training Center occupies roughly half of the 240,000 square foot former Niagara Machine & Tool Works factory on the East Side of Buffalo. The building is comprised of a complex of structures constructed between 1910 and 1981. 683 Northland Avenue in Buffalo is significant as an intact representative example of a large-scale tool and machine factory designed and built during the first half of the twentieth century. Noted Buffalo architectural firm Green & Wicks designed the original buildings, with additions from local civil engineers H. E. Plumer & Associates. Rehabilitation work included the preservation of exterior opening locations and building materials. All windows, including the factory sawtooth windows and monitors, were replaced with aluminum windows designed to replicate the historic steel. The reuse of a former prominent machining and tool factory as an energy and manufacturing workforce educational center maintains the historic industrial use and significance of the complex. This project is the first step in the revitalization and reuse of one of Buffalo’s great historic factory districts.

School 77 The Mixed-Use Sustainable Rehabilitation Project for People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) involved the conversion and substantial renovation of the vacant former Buffalo Public School #77. Stieglitz Snyder Architecture worked with PUSH and NYC based Hester Street Collaborative to solicit community participation into the design process. The final outcome is 30 affordable apartments for seniors on the 2nd and 3rd floors located in the existing classrooms; and mixed-use, not-for-profit commercial and community oriented neighborhood hub on the first floor which includes renting the auditorium to a local community-based theater company, offices for PUSH staff, and maintaining the gymnasium for a variety of recreational activities. Outstanding Project (less than 10,000 SF): Graycliff Graycliff, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was built as the summer home of Darwin and Isabelle Martin on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie in the late 1920’s. After decades of delayed maintenance and unsympathetic additions the Graycliff Conservancy was formed in 1997 to purchase the site to save it from demolition. The Conservancy dedicated itself to restoring and preserving the home and grounds, all designed by Wright, as a publicly accessible landmark. Architect Dirk Schneider of CJS Architects has been involved since 1999 with Graycliff’s restoration and the Converancy’s plan to address preservation needs, first overseeing the completion of all exterior phases, and then, working with colleague Scott Selin, overseeing the restoration of the interior of the home, as well as the companion Foster House. Skilled artisans from Reddin Construction brought Wright’s work back to life, aided by a team of dedicated Graycliff volunteers and staff, with major financial support from Empire State Development of New York. Neighborhood Conservation Hamlin Park Taxpayer and Community Association The Hamlin Park Taxpayers and Community Association for fifty years has been working to protect and enhance the beautiful Hamlin Park Neighborhood, including spearheading creating a local historic district in 1998 and adding this neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. Tireless in their efforts, the leadership and members of the Hamlin Park Taxpayers Association have worked to build a strong sense of community within a distinctive architectural environment. Preservation Craft Northwood Restoration Northwood Historic Restoration, with Steve Swiat at the helm, has restored some of the northeast’s most cherished historic sites. Specializing in wood window restoration and carpentry, Northwood has restored hundreds of windows for historic sites and private residences. They are currently training workers and managing the window restoration of the former Medina High School and restoring the nearly 200-year-old columns for the Theodore Roosevelt National Historic Site in Buffalo. Steve is also teaching the PBN sponsored Wood Window Restoration course, which will result in eight new residents being certified in wood window restoration. Preservation Leadership: Christine Parker Christine is a consulting museum curator, with the heart of a historian and the head of a sleuth.  She has dedicated the last few years to recovering and publicizing the life and legacy of John E. Brent, Buffalo’s first African American architect.  As a result of her dedication, an exhibit at the Burchfield Penny Art Center was enthusiastically received, a public television documentary was created and aired, a complete catalogue of Mr. Bent’s work has been created, and a travelling exhibition has been created and had viewings at local libraries, schools, and festivals.  Thanks to Christine, Mr. Brent’s legacy is available to inspire the next generations of Buffalonians to make their mark on this city through architectural design. Preservation Advocate Christina Lincoln Christina Lincoln, with her Masters in Urban Planning, Design, and Development, has worked to promote preservation in public (Dunkirk CDBG Admin), private (Swiatek Studios, Clinton Brown Architecture), and non-profit (Matt Urban Center) sectors all over WNY. She is on the board of Buffalo Young Preservationists and co-chair of the Fillmore Forward Design Committee. She was a driving force in bringing the Legacy Cities Preservation Conference together in Buffalo this past year. She has authored two consecutive Seven to Save nominations for WNY buildings while working with the Preservation League of NY to move those projects forward. Christina was instrumental in the National Register Eligibility and Local Landmark status of the Wildroot Building. She wrote the local landmark for the Wende House and National Treasure Nomination for the Chautauqua Amphitheater. Twice her essays on urban design issues have been published in anthologies. She was also recently appointed as both a National Trust advisor and to the board of Partners for a Livable WNY. Education, Outreach, and Planning Restore Our Community Coalition Buffalo boasts the oldest fully planned park system in the United States. But a critical component of Olmsted’s plan for a City connected by parks was destroyed in the 1960s when Humboldt Parkway was replaced with State Route 33. In 2007, ROCC was formed to remind our community what was lost, and advocate for a renewed commitment to Olmsted’s vision for a green and healthy community. Public Art and Landscape Niagara Falls Riverway Niagara Falls State Park provides the setting to experience one of the natural wonders of the world: Niagara Falls. As originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1887, the Park provided a “sublime” refuge for visitors and served as a buffer between the commercial activity of the City and the beauty of the Falls. Niagara Falls is the oldest State Park in the United States, and was placed on the National Register in 1983. Unfortunately, the natural scenery so important to the Park’s character was degraded when the construction of the Robert Moses Parkway in the 1960’s created a high-speed, limited access highway which severed the Park and restricted access from the City. The Riverway project has removed this barrier and transformed Niagara Falls State Park to the pedestrian oriented scenic landscape park envisioned by Olmsted and Vaux in the original 1887 General Plan for the Niagara Reservation. Stewardship of Public Resources Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry The Erie County Parks System boasts a large collection of WPA-era structures and landscape elements. The County has been diligently working to restore and repair each of their structures, to ensure that these special treasures will be enjoyed by future generations. Work completed in 2018 includes rebuilding the historic Akron Falls Park Lower Falls Overlook, and rebuilding the Ellicott Creek Dome.