ALBANY, NY – September 18, 2001 – Historic Albany Foundation has released its list 
of Preservation Merit Award winners for the year 2001. The awards will be presented at Historic Albany Foundation’s Annual Meeting, being held this year on the grounds of the Lincoln Park Pool and Bathhouse on Tuesday, October 2, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

“Preservation Merit Awards are presented each year at Historic Albany Foundation’s Annual Meeting to recognize outstanding preservation efforts,” said Elizabeth Griffin, Executive Director. 

According to Clare Yates, President of Historic Albany Foundation’s Board of Directors,  “We are also pleased to recognize individuals and organizations who have shown preservation leadership through their actions with Certificates of Merit.” 

The annual meeting is open to the public. Suggested donation is $10, to help defray the cost of the reception, which includes wine and hors d’oeuvres. For additional information or to make a reservation, call Historic Albany Foundation at 465-0876. 

Preservation Merit Award Winners
 

University Plaza The exterior masonry restoration of the former D&H Building, now known as University Plaza, was begun in 1997 and completed just this past year. The extensive project included repointing or recaulking all existing joints, as well as the replacement of masonry elements that were removed from the building between the 1950s and 1970s. The last phase of the project and the one which altered the building’s appearance most remarkably was the restoration of missing design elements to the elaborate “subway dormer” immediately south of the central tower.

Lincoln Park Bathhouse Prior to the first stage of its phased restoration, which is still ongoing, the Lincoln Park Bathhouse had suffered extensive damage to both the building’s brick exterior and steel substructure due to dramatic differential settlement. In addition to the needed exterior restoration, which included the rebuilding of large sections of the building’s masonry shell, the interior was reconfigured and upgraded while maintaining and reusing as much of the existing material as possible. All of this work was performed within a constricted time schedule to allow the bathhouse to be used throughout the summer season.

Pommer Building The Pommer Building, a large commercial building in Albany’s historic South End had for many years stood vacant, until its recent reincarnation as an antiques and auction gallery. The building’s owner, Gallagher and Company, restored the interior in an attempt to maintain as much as possible of the structure’s open floor plan and architecturally rich interior.

326 Clinton Avenue The three-story townhouse at 326 Clinton Avenue stands at the intersection of two of Albany’s primary thoroughfares within the Clinton Avenue National Register Historic District. The building was extensively refurbished by its owner, Catholic Charities, for use as two two-bedroom apartments with community offices on the ground floor. Much of the work was performed with the guidance of the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

748 Madison Avenue The large front porch and attached porte-cochere on the house at 748 Madison Avenue was recently replicated based on original drawings found inside the home. The owner, Christopher Hacker, the fourth generation of his family to live in the home, did most of the work himself with the help of a friend. Great attention was paid to reproducing the porch as closely as possible with minor concessions to modern-day building codes.

459 State Street The extensive façade restoration undertaken at 459 State Street was one of the most painstaking in Albany in recent years. The owner, herself an architect, directed the work, which included re-applying stucco to the entire front wall of the building, while forming decorative window lintels and score marks in imitation of coursed ashlar blocks. The aluminum siding that covered the projection wooden bay window over the door was removed to reveal the original woodwork largely intact.

269 Hudson Avenue Number 269 Hudson Avenue stands on the north side of Hudson Avenue, just west of Hudson-Jay Park. It had stood vacant for over two decades before recently being restored by its current owners Russ and Carol Schwartz. They performed a great deal of work to simply return the building to a liveable state, but did this work with a high standard of both design and craftsmanship.

Certificates of Recognition

Elizabeth Benjamin is commended for her consistent and objective journalism in the Albany Times Union on a variety of preservation issues throughout the city. Her reporting on buildings such as School 10, 41 Ten Broeck, and 132-138 Madison Avenue was particularly significant in disseminating information that ultimately helped to galvanize public opinion in favor of preservation.

The City of Albany is commended for the efforts made by Mayor Gerald D. Jennings, the Delaware Area Neighborhood Association, and members of the Delaware Avenue fire station to have historic Hook & Ladder No. 4 listed on the national register of Historic Places. This award is also in recognition of the new exterior lighting scheme that extends the hours that this beautiful building is visible to the public.

Friends of Lincoln Park Pool are commended for their grassroots efforts to save one of Albany’s greatest and most-loved civic amenities. The group has achieved great success – through bumper stickers, tee shirts and letter writing campaigns – in raising awareness of the unique nature of this enormous dish-shaped pool, and its importance to the city’s residents.