Month: December 2008

2008 NY State Historic Preservation Awards Announced

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New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash today announced the recipients of the 2008 New York State Historic Preservation Awards. The State Historic Preservation Awards were established in 1980 to honor excellence in the protection and rejuvenation of New York’s historic and cultural resources. The recipients were honored at a ceremony held at the Historic Preservation Field Services Bureau at Peebles Island State Park, north of Albany:


Individual Achievement presented to Dorothy Marie Miner, Esq.
Preservation Law pioneer, advocate, educator and mentor, Miner was a powerful force for civic good, a fearless voice for the rule of law and the built environment. Ms. Miner was instrumental in the development, implementation and defense of preservation laws at local and statewide levels, and her pioneering work was significant in establishing preservation law at the national level. She was informed of her award before her death on October 21, 2008.

Individual Achievement presented to Harold L. Zoch
For his extraordinary efforts and commitment to the documentation and preservation of the historic and cultural resources of Schoharie County and New York State.

Project Achievement presented to the Willow Street Lofts, LLC, Syracuse
For outstanding commitment to community revitalization and the adaptive use project of the former CW Snow Warehouse.

Project Achievement presented to the Oswego Public Library
For outstanding commitment to community revitalization and the rehabilitation and rejuvenation of a distinguished historic property.

Project Achievement presented to Judith Wellman, PhD.
The Equal Rights Historic District, Sherwood, Cayuga County for outstanding scholarship in National Register documentation, and dedication to the ideals of those Americans who have advanced the cause of equal rights and reform.

Project Achievement presented to the Rural Ulster Preservation Company
For outstanding commitment to community revitalization and the rehabilitation and adaptive use of the Kirkland Hotel, Kingston.

Project Achievement presented to Jedediah Hawkins Inn, Jamesport
For outstanding commitment to community revitalization and the rehabilitation and adaptive use of a distinguished historic property.

Project Achievement presented to Historic Saranac Lake
For outstanding commitment to community revitalization and the rehabilitation and adaptive use of the Saranac Laboratory.

Community Achievement presented to Village of New Paltz and Historic Huguenot Street
For outstanding commitment to the documentation and preservation of historic and prehistoric archeological resources as an integral part of community improvement projects.

Not-for-Profit Achievement presented to the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway
For outstanding leadership and commitment to community revitalization efforts and the promotion of and advocacy for the region’s industrial history and architecture.

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which is part of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, helps communities identify, recognize, and preserve their historic resources, and incorporate them into local improvement and economic development activities. The SHPO administers several programs including the federal historic rehabilitation tax credit, state historic preservation grants, the Certified Local Government program, and the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places, which are the official lists of properties significant in the history, architecture, and archeology of the state and nation.

The Global 1989: A New Generation Conference

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2009 brings the 20th anniversaries of a wide variety of major events across the globe: the Cuban withdrawal from Angola- the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan- the Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa against Salman Rushdie- the Polish and Hungarian Round Tables- the protests at Tiananmen Square- the fall of the Berlin Wall- the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia- and the breakdown of old regimes in Mexico, Chile, and Brazil.

In an attempt to take a global approach to 1989, its antecedents, and its consequences, Princeton University will convene and host on 22-24 October 2009 a conference devoted to 1989. The ultimate panel themes will depend on the topics of the paper proposals submitted. They are particularly interested in moving toward new conceptual models, for example in the following areas: ethics and norms, intellectual history/history of ideas, law, microeconomics, migration, popular culture, and religion. The organizers see it as essential to underscore also the conference’s global scope, i.e. that it should encompass (but not necessarily limit itself to) variously defined Asian, Cold War, European, inter-American, Sino-Soviet, and transatlantic studies. We welcome also submissions concerning, for example, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, or South Africa.

Organizers aim to provide a forum for recent work related to a doctoral dissertation, whether published or unpublished, complete or incomplete. Submissions are welcome from junior faculty and postdoctoral fellows as well as current graduate students. Submissions from around the globe are welcome, as the budget will cover the travel expenses of all of the scholars whose proposals have been accepted.

The organizers caution that the intended small scale of the conference will likely necessitate a highly selective review process. The program committee looks forward to the broadest possible range of submissions that fall within the intended scope of the conference, and it will arrange panels based on those submissions that it receives, yet we will likely be able to accommodate only a fraction of these submissions.

Submissions of a brief (300 words) abstract, as well as a more detailed prospectus (5 pages, double-spaced) that fleshes out the intended argument of the presentation in greater depth, will be accepted on a rolling basis until 1 February 2009.
Early submissions are particularly welcome.

Proposals should be submitted to Barbara Leavey (blleavey-AT-princeton-DOT-edu)- questions can be directed also to conference chair Piotr H. Kosicki (pkosicki &#8211 AT- princeton -DOT -edu).

This conference is a joint initiative of Princeton University’s Department of History, Davis Center for Historical Studies, Institute
for International and Regional Studies, Program in Law and Public Affairs, University Center for Human Values, and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

NYPL Puts Treasures Online, Joins Social Web

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There was an interesting story in USA Today recently by writer Anne Godlasky outlining some of the NYPL’s new media / live web / social marketing initiatives. Here’s a sample:

The New York Public Library quietly rolled out a new video series last month. Titled &#8220Treasures,&#8221 it showcases 11 gems of the library’s vast collection of more than 50 million items.

And since then it has joined Facebook, broadening an online reach that already included YouTube and iTunes pages to gain more of an audience — which, for one of the world’s largest public libraries, includes &#8220everybody from preschool toddlers to the greatest writers in the world,&#8221 says president Paul LeClerc.

Curators and administrators whittled a list of hundreds of ideas to record videos of the most &#8220visually grabbing,&#8221 says director David Ferriero.

The library has made the videos available on its site, nypl.org, as well as on YouTube— where its photography piece is by far its most popular with more than 13,000 views. The video, &#8220Knowing What to See&#8221 is the only one featuring current events: the drug trade in Afghanistan as photographed by Stephen Dupont.

Patterson Names Wife Honorary Chair of 400th

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Governor David A. Paterson today announced that First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson has been named Honorary Chair of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration. Next year, 2009, marks the 400th anniversaries of the voyage of English Captain Henry Hudson, who led the first European expedition to sail up the river that now bears his name, and the voyage of Frenchman Samuel de Champlain, the first to discover the namesake lake. To celebrate these simultaneous 400th anniversaries &#8211 as well as the 200th anniversary of Robert Fulton’s maiden steamboat journey up the Hudson River &#8211 New York State is planning a yearlong series of events, programs and projects that highlight the discovery of New York, celebrating the State’s Dutch, French and English roots and heritage.

&#8220This is a momentous occasion in our State’s history,&#8221 said First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson. &#8220I am so proud to be able to serve this important role as ambassador for the 400th anniversaries of the exploration of our historic Hudson River and Lake Champlain, celebrating our rich history and our embrace of diversity, tolerance and innovation. Perhaps most importantly, we are utilizing the occasion to focus attention on the most important legacy of all &#8212- environmental and economic sustainability starting with the next 100 years.&#8221

New York’s First Lady will lend her support to several projects across the State, including the &#8220Walkway Over the Hudson&#8221 in Poughkeepsie that will transform the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge into a spectacular park in the sky, the longest elevated walkway in the world. On Lake Champlain, the newly refurbished Crown Point Lighthouse will shine again over the stabilized ruins of two nearby forts &#8211 Crown Point and St. Frederic &#8211 that symbolize the region’s English and French heritage. And Governor’s Island, the site of one of New York’s first Dutch settlements and a strategic 19th-century coastal fortification, will soon allow visitors to have access to the entire perimeter promenade for the first time, and will create a picnic area with unparalleled views of the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, and the Manhattan skyline.

Other Quadricentennial events include the valley-wide event &#8220River Day&#8221 celebrating 400 years of boats, ships and the Hudson River- the Quadricentennial Sustainability Expo at the American Museum of Natural History, the International Commemorative Stamp Expo at the Empire State Plaza &#8211 featuring the loan of the original Henry Hudson 1909 stamp from the National Museum, the New York Medal of Discovery-the first annual medal from the Governor to a distinguished New Yorker, the &#8220400 Years of History&#8221 conference at Marist College, and a special visit from the Dutch Royal Family.

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer said: &#8220This event provides a golden opportunity to celebrate the history of New York State and three of the giants who defined it for the last four hundred years. Over this past year, I have worked tirelessly for the Quadricentennial to ensure the celebration provides a big boost for our tourism economy. I know with Michelle Paterson as the Honorary Chair of the Quadricentennial we can only expect even greater success.&#8221

U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said: &#8220First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson is an excellent choice to chair the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial celebrations. Under her leadership, this celebration of New York’s rich past will be a truly historic success.&#8221

U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey said: &#8220The Quadricentennial celebrations presents New Yorkers with so many exciting ways to celebrate and learn about the extraordinary historical events that occurred right here in our own backyard several centuries years ago. I am very pleased that First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson will be taking on such an important leadership role that will ensure we fulfill the cultural, educational, and economic potential that these upcoming events have for our State.&#8221

Hugo Gajus Scheltema, Consul General of the Netherlands, said: &#8220We are thrilled that the First Lady is Honorary Chair for the Quadricentennial Celebration. We look forward to working together for next year’s events. From our side we have set up a number of festivities in the framework of the Quadricentiennial and expect several Dutch dignitaries to visit New York State next year, including members of the royal family.&#8221

Deputy Secretary for the Environment Judith Enck said: &#8220We are honored to have First Lady Michele Paige Paterson integrally involved in commemorating the 400th anniversary of our magnificent Lake Champlain and Hudson River. The Hudson River and Lake Champlain are not only rich parts of our past but also are key to our future. In the upcoming Quadricentennial year we will celebrate history while stepping up our efforts to reduce water pollution and to advance policies that protect the shorelines of these vitally important water bodies. Having the First Lady in this leadership position signals how important this commemoration is for our great State.&#8221

Joan Davidson, Chairperson of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission (HFCQ), said: &#8220The Commission is inspired by Governor Paterson’s vision of a revitalized Hudson River Corridor and the Champlain Valley as a strong economic engine for New York City and State. We are delighted and honored that New York’s First Lady, Michelle Paige Paterson, has agreed to serve as Honorary Chair of the Commission and we look forward to working with her toward next year’s great events.&#8221

Tara Sullivan, Executive Director of the NYS HFCQ, said: &#8220New York’s communities, historic and environmental organizations, and State agencies have worked this past year to craft the 2009 plan for celebrating our past and planning for our future. New York’s First Lady will bring the prestige and gravitas to usher in this plan on the eve of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial!&#8221

For more information on the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration, visit: www.ExploreNY400.com.

Center for International History Grad Student Conference

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The Columbia University Department of History invites paper proposals (deadline for abstracts is 1/1/2009) for a Graduate Student Conference titled &#8220Claiming the World: Universalisms as Doctrine and in Action&#8221 to be held on March 27, 2009.

From the Roman notion of civitas to the Islamic duty of da’wah and the French colonial mission civilisatrice, universal claims have been deployed in the service of causes, movements, and ideologies of all kinds. They attempt to create order, unity, and meaning, yet thereby give rise to contestation.

This conference seeks to address the following questions: What kinds of universal claims have been advanced and how have they been transformed over time in different regions and historical periods? How do such claims take concrete form in the actions of polities and the practices of communities from the local to the global? How do they accommodate or resist particularities or rival universalisms? We wish to consider a range of entities that promulgate universal claims (such as states, nations, empires, religions, and social and political movements) in a multitude of realms (such as law, morality, norms, and identities). As this conference is presented in conjunction with the Center for International History’s annual theme, “In the Name of Humanity,” we are especially, but not only, interested in the ways in which universal claims have been embodied in the discourses and politics of human rights and humanitarian intervention.

We invite submissions from all time periods &#8211 ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern &#8211 and various geographic regions. Papers on topics that are broadly transnational or global in scope are preferred. Additionally, we encourage interdisciplinary research, and although proposals with a historical perspective are particularly welcome, we will also consider contributions from the fields of anthropology, sociology, literary studies, political science, and economics. Please send an abstract of no more than 300 words and a recent CV as email attachments (Word preferred) by January 1, 2009 and any inquiries to Simon Stevens at the following address: [email protected]

For more information regarding the conference can be found at the Center for International History’s website (beginning December 15th):

1965 NYC Landmarks Preservation Law Lecture

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Anthony M. Tung, author of Preserving the World’s Great Cities: The Destruction and Renewal of the Historic Metropolis and former New York City Landmarks Preservation Commissioner, will present a talk that envisions the state of urban preservation on different continents at the moment when Mayor Robert F. Wagner signed the New York City Landmarks Preservation statute in 1965. With the process of civilization unfolding at varying speeds, igniting the upheaval of urban modernization, how did the heritage of London, Beijing, Mexico City, Rome, and Warsaw fare? Mr. Tung will show accompanying photographs to complement his lecture.

The event will be held Wednesday, December 10th at 6:30 PM at Grace Church School, 84 Fourth Avenue, NYC- admission is free but reservations are required. RSVP to [email protected] or (212) 614-9107. This event is co-sponsored by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation and Neighborhood Preservation Center.