J L Mott Shower & Base

Turn-of-the-century JL Mott Needle Shower and Curved Base

This shower and base was saved from a private home in Castleton, NY. It was manufactured by JL Mott Iron Works, NYC (the company moved to Trenton, NJ in 1902.) This was a very high-end piece in it’s day (original price: $52!) and very few have survived. Stop by the warehouse to check it out for yourself. We’ll have it set up and give you a demo of this great piece of history. …..

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More Historic Fabric Lost

On Wednesday, September 2nd, HAF was informed that three row houses on First Street, between Hawk and Lark Streets, were slated for emergency demolition the following day.  

This section of the block consists of seven row houses, that from first glance, look to be an intact and maintained row.  However, look a little closer and you can see the sky through the upper front windows of 61 ½ First Street where the roof has collapsed.  The deteriorating east-facing wall of 58 First Street has generated numerous calls to HAF for bricks falling and large cracks appearing in the exterior wall.  Two of the other homes will be stabilized, while the two at the west end of the row are currently occupied.

After speaking with City of Albany officials, HAF learned that each of these properties is owned by a different owner, has had numerous outstanding code violations that were never complied with, and have sat vacant for many years.  None of the owners have applied for building permits to do any renovation or stabilization work.  In addition, most of these homes are delinquent in their taxes as well.  

A lot of people ask “why don’t developers just buy them and fix them up?”  It’s easier said than done.  Most of the properties that get to the emergency demolition phase are not for sale.  Most sit uncared for by absentee owners who are unwilling to sell.  They are not even purposely buttoned up to the elements and properly mothballed to allow them to withstand the elements.  And as we all know, water is a vacant building’s worst enemy, as we are seeing again in this case with roof and other collapses.

So who is to blame, and what is HAF doing about the issue of vacant buildings and demolitions in the City of Albany?

First, absentee and apathetic property owners carry the most blame in these situations.   Too many properties sit vacant and deteriorating across the City in every neighborhood.  But it is especially detrimental when we continue to lose buildings in our historic districts.  These particular properties have sat vacant for at least seven years each.  

HAF is working with the City of Albany and others to change legislation to at least allow for the court system to do their jobs effectively.  Currently, if a property is cited for a code violation, and the owner goes to court, the owner only needs to pay the fine assessed by the court.  There is no leverage to ensure the property owner makes the repairs that created the violation.  HAF has submitted a policy change that gives the court and the Code Enforcement Department more leverage to make property owners accountable for the repairs necessary.  We will continue to work on policy issues such as this moving forward.

In addition, HAF has been invited to participate in the new Blight to Betterment Task Force spearheaded by Albany County Legislators Matthew Peter and Carolyn McLaughlin.   This Task Force is bringing together individuals and organizations at the State, County, City and community level to tackle issues facing blight, vacancy, property maintenance, homeownership disparity, and how we can all work together toward a common goal.

The bottom line is that once buildings are gone, they leave gaping holes and empty lots that are not refilled.  Once intact rows have “missing teeth” that also threaten the stability of the remaining buildings as they were not built to stand alone, causing further decay.  Once demolitions happen, the historic fabric of our neighborhoods disappears and cannot be gotten back.  It is imperative that we all work together to find solutions to stem this tide.

BUILT 2020 Featured Artist Interview - Michele LaMont

Artist Statement 
”I  have always felt a connection between the performing arts and visual arts.There exists a form  to melodies as well as color. I try to create free flowing and imaginative works that draw the viewer in again and again. My smaller works invite close up inspection as they are intricate and abstract. I want each observer to see what  is meaningful to them.  I continue to experiment with papers, mediums and processes in my current work, always seeking to create curious and delicate pieces that draw the viewer closer for a more intimate experience.  All works are unique and hand printed on various papers.  Works are produced using a variety of  techniques  such as;  Intaglio, chine colle, etching, solar plates,  linoleum cuts, gold and copper leaf” - Michele LaMont 

Hi Michele! Thank you for agreeing to an interview. First can you tell us about your piece 'Got Heat' for BUILT 2019 which won the Jurors Award?

The 2019 "Juror's Award" piece, "Got Heat," was originally a Photo I took at the HAF Warehouse. I made a Solar plate etching of the black & white print. I then inked the plate and ran it through the Press onto a cellulose sheet. The several layers of process gives it a unique appearance.

What made you want to submit to BUILT for the first time?

Michele’s winning piece from 2019 - Got Heat?

l  I have always admired the architecture  of the Capitol region having grown up in Troy. After 45 years "Downstate" I purchased a Historic landmarked home in Malta, NY. Original date was 1790, and in 1810 & 1830 additions were added. I went to the HAF Warehouse in search of  replacement hardware and became a member. 

Do you often find architecture an inspiring topic for your work?

I particularly enjoy the architecture of doors & windows and see them as the "eyes" of the building. I frequently have them as the center of my prints.

 What would you say to someone considering submitting to BUILT for the first time in 2020?

I think it would be a great experience for an artist to accept the challenge of creating a work inspired by their Historic surroundings. It forces one to look at and appreciate what is right in front of them. The reception & auction were awesome experiences.  

Are you submitting a piece for 2020 and can you tell us anything about it?

I have been keeping my eyes open for inspiration to create a piece of art for BUILT 2020. I am tweaking a few ideas and hope to settle on the one that speaks to me most. 

Finally, how have you been entertaining yourself during the lockdown?

Some of michele’s current work

I have continued to teach Piano to my students via Zoom. I have also been doing minor projects to restore our home and working at my Printing Press when I can.  Inspiration is hard to come by during  this Quarantine lockdown. My husband and I have been personally touched by the Covid-19 situation. We have lost several friends and one family member to this horrific virus. Many friends have been hospitalized, one very close friend for 5 weeks. It is a sneaky & scary disease and we must keep our distance until a vaccine has been created.  Having said that, I hope some normalcy will be here before the end of the year 2020. 

Visit the BUILT homepage for more information about submission and the event here >>

Entry fee deadline is Sept 18th

BUILT 2020 Featured Artist Interview - Patrick Naughter

Patrick Naughter is a photographer and filmmaker. Born and raised in Albany, New York, he graduated from Emerson College in 2017 with a BFA in Visual and Media Arts / Cinematography.

Patrick’s winning piece from 2019

Patrick was one of 9 Young Artists to submit to BUILT in 2019 and was the first recipient of the Young Artist Award.

 Hi Patrick! Thank you for agreeing to an interview. First, can you tell us about your 2019 piece, Attic Light, which won the Young Artist award?

My piece for BUILT 2019 was captured during a time where I had come back home to Albany in between moving from Boston, MA to Los Angeles, CA. I spent much of that time clearing the cluttered attic of my childhood home, and the process provided me with a new perspective on the house I'd grown to love so much as a kid. Built in the 1870's, in the Victorian style, I'd always admired it's foundation of stone, decorative trim, and steeply pitched roofs. The attic, however, was always a source of fear for me as a child, with it's dark corners and creaking floorboards. Although my mother has been in the house for 30 years, the attic had long housed leftover belongings of previous tenants, including some truly antique-looking medical equipment, and, as if they had planted it with the sole intention of frightening children, a clown doll.

 The process of clearing the attic of all this clutter, clown doll included, slowly brightened those dark corners. I began to notice how beautifully the sunlight shot into the space through the attic's porthole windows at around noon everyday. On one of these days, after moving a particularly dusty piece of carpet, that light took the shape of a beam, and I grabbed my camera (appropriately it was mother's 35mm camera from college here in Albany), and captured the photo. I went on to continue with my work in the attic and at the end of the process, I found that the space was no longer one that inspired fear. Without the dust, cobwebs, and debris, my attention was now drawn to something I hadn't been able to appreciate before, the structure of the house itself. I was struck by how solid everything felt, the thick timber beams that framed the roof, the chimney that shot through the floor and rose to the ceiling and disappeared into the sky outside. I discovered the latched windows that, when opened, welcomed in the first breeze the attic had felt in years. Above all else, standing in the attic and looking at the skeleton of the house provided me with the acute awareness that the house I had known for so many years as this ever-present place in which to live, had once been built, with wood and stone and glass, by the hands of many people. It made me feel lucky to be a part of this place's long history, and gave me a new respect for it's many imperfections, as I could now more easily see them as parts of its history.

 When I had the photo developed weeks later, those feelings remained and the image now serves as a wonderful reminder of that discovery.

Do you find architecture an inspiring topic for your work?

I love the way architecture reflects the broader environment in which a structure lives, even if that environment can't be seen in the image. The mind is quick to create the context for itself. Additionally, as someone who also enjoys portraiture, I find structures are at times the perfect subject, always maintaining their pose, letting me wait for the right moment.

What made you want to submit to BUILT? 

My mother informed me of the foundation and event, and it felt like a great opportunity to share my work among a community of people who might be interested. 

 What would you say to someone considering submitting to BUILT for the first time in 2020 - especially if they are a young artist?

If you are thinking of submitting a piece to BUILT 2020, I would strongly encourage you to do so. Above all else, seeing all the other amazing work from local artists was incredibly inspiring. I was exposed to beautiful new perspectives of our city and made more aware of the vibrant artistic community we have.

 Are you submitting a piece for 2020 and can you tell us anything about it?

Unfortunately, due to the fact that I moved to California this past year, I don't have much material to offer for this year's contest. That being said, I hope to come home well stocked with film on my future trips back east in the hopes of finding new inspiration.

 Finally, how have you been entertaining yourself during the lockdown?

In lockdown I've found pleasure in long runs, lots of reading, and taking socially distance photographs around my neighborhood!

Interested in submitting to BUILT 2020? Find out more here >>
See more of Patrick’s work here >>