Since the 1980s, our agency’s Division of Historic Preservation has recognized outstanding individuals and projects with the annual Historic Preservation Awards.

These honorees represent reverence for the past and creativity and vision for the future, combined with the necessary attention to detail, perseverance, skill and hard work it takes to bring historic preservation projects to life. From a rustic farm to a bootlegger’s warehouse, let’s take a look at some of the projects and people our agency honored this year.

Excellence in Historic Building Rehabilitation
Olbiston Flats | Utica, Oneida County 

Even in 2025, the height, massing, and style of the Olbiston Flats apartment building turns heads. In 1898, this Renaissance Revival building on Genesee Street in Utica was nothing short of a sensation. It was touted as the tallest apartment building between Buffalo and New York City, and claimed to be fireproof.

Looking at this photo of its present-day state, it’s hard to believe that this was a condemned property merely four years ago. But a $67 million rehabilitation project led by Liberty Affordable Housing Inc. of Rome united public and private partners to rescue the Olbiston and turn it into safe, affordable, and energy efficient apartments. Utilizing programs from New York State Homes and Community Renewal as well as historic rehabilitation tax credits, the Olbiston re-opened in 2024 as a LEED-certified building with 150 affordable housing apartments that retains impressive historic details inside and out.  

Excellence in Historic Building Rehabilitation
Bateman Hotel | Lowville, Lewis County 

Nestled in the foothills of the Adirondacks on the Tug Hill Plateau, Lowville has long welcomed tourists to experience its mineral springs and enjoy outdoor recreation. And for more than a century, they stayed here, at a hotel known first as the Howell Hotel, then renamed the Kellogg House, and operated as the Bateman Hotel for much of the twentieth century.

Today, it’s an architectural anchor of Lowville, where its mixed-use spaces offer affordable housing units on the upper floors and street-level storefronts for local businesses. A $2.7 million rehabilitation tax credit project retains its character while making the repairs necessary to keep it vital for the next century and beyond.

Excellence in Non-Profit Achievement
Bargain Grocery/Miller, Hall & Hartwell Box Factory | Troy, Rensselaer County 

If downtown Troy is a food desert, Bargain Grocery aims to be its oasis.

This c. 1915 box factory, built to support the famed Miller, Hall & Hartwell Shirt Collar Factory across the street, was transformed from an inactive space into a nonprofit grocery store using federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits.  Developed and rehabilitated by First Columbia and operated by the nonprofit Compassion Coalition, it provides fresh, healthy, affordable food to residents of this growing Troy neighborhood.

Excellence in Non-Profit Achievement
Historic Pittsford | Village and Town of Pittsford, Monroe County

It all started here, with the rehabilitation of the 1819 Federal-style Little House. Since then, Historic Pittsford has published a book on the town’s architecture, developed a strategic plan for the village, advocated for a preservation ordnance that has been in place for more than 50 years, and completed a historic resource survey.

Those were just the early accomplishments of Historic Pittsford, which continues to advise homeowners on preservation, invest in the future by providing scholarships to students interested in historic preservation careers, and hold its own annual historic preservation awards ceremony. During its 60th anniversary year, we’re pleased to recognize the achievements of Historic Pittsford.

Excellence in Non-Profit Achievement
West Side Bazaar /Illinois Alcohol Company Building | Buffalo, Erie County  

A century ago, a Buffalonian directing you to a certain Niagara Street building near the railroad tracks was giving you a tip on where to get alcohol despite Prohibition. Today, they’re pointing you towards your next great up-and-coming dining experience.

The Illinois Alcohol Company operated a bootlegging ring out of this unassuming warehouse during Prohibition, then became a legitimate maker of brewing filtration equipment after repeal. Today, something more powerful is brewing in this space. It’s now the home of the popular West Side Bazaar, a business incubator for the Westminster Economic Development Initiative. Inside are restaurants featuring Egyptian, Congolese, Malaysian, Jamaican, American Soul food, and Korean cuisines, plus retail and gathering spaces, a learning lab, and a commissary kitchen. This rehabilitation project utilized federal and state tax credits and found ways to incorporate the historic features into a welcoming and expressive space.

Excellence in Government Achievement
Steamboat Square | Albany, Albany County

Built between 1959 and 1983, Steamboat Square is listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places for its history as the city’s first public housing project. Its story exemplifies the power of advocacy by tenants and activists, who spent 20 years working on changes to make the buildings more flexible for families and less prone to crime.

In 2024, the Albany Housing Authority completed a $42 million rehabilitation of Steamboat 20, the first part of a multiphase rehabilitation project for Steamboat Square. The rehabilitation of Steamboat 20 preserved 51 existing public housing apartments and created 37 new apartments from previously decommissioned spaces,  including 14 with supportive services for individuals with mental health needs. The project catalyzed support from several government agencies including New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Office of Temporary Disability Assistance, Energy Research and Development Authority, the Attorney General’s office, and Empire State Development.

Excellence in Historic Preservation Documentation
More Than a Brook: Brooklyn Abolitionist Heritage Walk | Brooklyn, Kings County 

The smallest thing can spark an incredible odyssey. For artist, educator, and founder of the Black Gotham Experience Kamau Ware, it was a question from a child on a history tour: “Where were the Black people?” And it inspired nearly 20 years of research, new tours, and corrections to the historical record that are ongoing.

More Than a Brook is a new three-mile audio tour with a companion website. It invites users to explore the streets of Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene, learning as they traverse communities and pause where history happened. Listeners learn about formerly enslaved individuals who sought freedom, the freedom seekers who passed through Brooklyn on their way to liberation, and the abolitionists—both Black and white—who risked their own lives to give them aid and shelter. This project was a collaboration between Black Gotham Experience and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and was supported by a Certified Local Government grant from OPRHP.

Excellence in Historic Preservation Stewardship
Crystal Spring Farm | Essex, Essex County

It’s one thing to dream about buying a historic farm and restoring it. It’s quite another to do it. But Mark Wilcox, owner of Crystal Spring Farm in Essex, took on this daunting challenge. His YouTube channel documented his thorough research-driven process, which employed skilled local craftsmen to retain the original character of the 19th century horse barn, granary, and milk house, and make them suitable for modern use in Wilcox’s antiques business. The farm also showcases the impact of incentive programs, as this project utilized federal and state rehabilitation tax credit programs as well as the New York State Historic Barn tax credit program.

Excellence in Historic Preservation Stewardship
Joel Barrett | Rochester, Monroe County

When faced with the challenge of finding skilled trades people available to restore a large number of deteriorated historic windows at Rochester’s Old City Hall, rather than amending the project and discarding the windows, Rochester-area developer Joel Barrett and his construction crew learned how to restore the windows themselves. The transformation of Old City Hall into The Rockford, a $12 million adaptive reuse project creating apartments and commercial space, is a testament to not only Barrett’s commitment to preservation but the collaborative problem-solving that comes with historic preservation projects.  

A public accountant until 2016, Barrett brings to the field extensive knowledge of incentive programs to make his projects into reality. He also lends his expertise to others in the community seeking to save Western New York’s historic places and bring them into the 21st century.  

Community Ambassador Award
Earl Walker | Binghamton, Broome County

Recognized as a local historic preservation advocate, longtime United States Postal Service letter carrier Earl Walker delivered more than just the mail to homeowners in Binghamton. Inquiry after inquiry about the Historic Homeownership Tax Credit program, and they all said, “I heard about this from my mailman.”

As the owner of a historic house in the Abel Bennet Tract Historic District of Binghamton, Walker used the program to support projects at his own home. As he noticed his neighbors and the people on his route working on their homes, he spread the word about the program which has resulted in an increase in participation in the homeowner tax credit program. 

This award honors Walker’s neighborliness and advocacy and shines light on the day-to-day historic preservation projects taking place all around us.

Outstanding Contributions to Historic Preservation
Ann-Isabel Friedman | Retired, Director of Sacred Sites Program at the New York Landmarks Conservancy

Churches, mosques, synagogues, and other spiritual centers are often social centers and landmarks of their communities. For over two decades, Ann-Isabel Friedman directed the Sacred Sites Program, the state-wide grant program for religious institutions, administered by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. During her time as director, Friedman guided hundreds of congregations of all denominations as they replaced roofs, restored masonry work, did structural repairs, and revived stained glass windows.  

She facilitated the survey and National Register listing of countless historic religious properties, organized Sacred Sites open houses, and edited the Common Bond newsletter. As the renowned and accomplished “Jewish Church Lady” (as she was affectionately known) celebrates her retirement, our agency was proud to honor her statewide impact. 

The Joan K. Davidson Award
National Women’s Hall of Fame/Seneca Knitting Mill | Seneca Falls, Seneca County

For 150 years, the Seneca Knitting Mill was a major producer of woolen goods, creating economic opportunities for its residents and many of its founders were staunch abolitionists refusing to use enslaved labor picked cotton. Others were early advocates for women’s rights, including two of the original trustees of the mill who signed the 1848 Declaration of Sentiments. When the mill closed in 1999, it was in serious disrepair and the threat of demolition loomed until it was purchased by the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2007. Now this iconic 1844 mill, once a symbol of industrial innovation, has been preserved and reactivated into a space that celebrates trailblazing women.. 

It’s fitting that the project received an award named in honor of a trailblazing woman who believed deeply in the power of grassroots groups to enact historic preservation. Joan Kaplan Davidson was Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation from 1993 to 1995, Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts from 1974 to 1977, and president of the J. M. Kaplan Fund from 1977 to 1993. This is the second year that an award has been given in her honor. 

Posthumous Special Recognition Award
Charles E. Vandrei, Jr. | Archaeologist, Agency Preservation Officer at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

For forty years, Charles Vandrei Jr. worked unwaveringly towards preserving and protecting New York’s cultural heritage throughout his career at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He was honored with a DEC Commissioner’s Meritorious Service Award, an Adirondack Architectural Heritage Special Recognition Award, and the New York Archaeological Council’s 2023 Founders Award.  He helped write the New York Archaeological Council’s Standards for conducting archaeological investigations in New York and he was a strong advocate for the bill that became New York State’s Unmarked Burial Site Protection Act. He did multiple stints in the private sector throughout North America.

But his friend and colleague, Josalyn Ferguson, illuminated his true legacy as she introduced this special recognition. She said “It is not the longevity of Chuck’s career with DEC, or the respected positions and awards he received that will be Chuck’s true legacy.  Chuck’s enthusiasm, persistence, and commitment to the Indigenous Nations, our shared cultural, architectural, and archaeological resources, were like no other I have worked with. His advocacy for historic preservation and for those whose voices could no longer be heard, or continue to be muffled and ignored, was very distinct, and when needed, could be direct and loud.”

— Written by Kate Jenkins, Digital Communications Specialist, with contributions from Historic Preservation Communications Specialist Megan Eves, Historic Preservation Communications Specialist Aine Leader-Nagy, and Community Engagement Coordinator Cordell Reaves.