Preservationists Decry Proposed Cuts to Tax Credits

admin

The Preservation League of New York State joined economic development, smart growth and environmental groups in denouncing the Legislature’s plans on tax law amendments that it says will &#8220undermine years of work to revitalize the upstate economy, protect open space and foster green initiatives.&#8221

The New York State Senate and Assembly are considering tax law amendments that would temporarily defer certain state tax credit incentives for up to six years. Among the targeted credits are the recently expanded (2009) NYS Rehabilitation Tax Credit programs. Just last week, the Senate and Assembly passed legislation designed to bolster these programs by bringing new private investment to redevelopment projects.

&#8220The New York State Legislature is considering tax law changes that will gut this program one week after they passed legislation that allows it to attract significant new national investment to distressed communities throughout New York State,&#8221 said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. &#8220Just as redevelopment projects are set to launch in cities throughout the state, this proposed change pulls the rug out from beneath their financing plans.&#8221

According to Robert Simpson, CEO of the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity in Syracuse, &#8220This rehabilitation tax credit has been anticipated by many as one of New York’s most effective economic development programs, but before we can begin to realize its long-sought economic and community redevelopment benefits, the Legislature is about strip the program of the incentives that make it work.&#8221

Deferring incentives of the New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credit program are expected to prevent some projects from securing financing, as partners will no longer be assured of a timely return on investment.

&#8220When the expanded Rehabilitation Tax Credit program was adopted in 2009, a number of modifications were made to reflect New York State’s difficult financial situation,&#8221 said Daniel Mackay, Director of Public Policy for the Preservation League. &#8220This program has already been adapted to work in a tough fiscal climate. If further changes are imposed upon the program, it will lose all effectiveness as an economic development tool.&#8221

In 2009, the rehabilitation tax credit programs were limited to distressed census tracts in New York State, commercial rehabilitation project credits were capped at a maximum value of $5 million, and the credits were limited to a five-year pilot program, set to sunset in 2014. Despite those limitations, an economic benefits assessment for the program commissioned by the Preservation League showed a $12:1 return on state investment, noting significant job creation and increased local and state tax revenue returns in addition to community redevelopment benefits.

Twenty-eight other business tax credits were also mentioned in legislative discussions, a number of which address environmental clean-ups, promote alternative fuel and energy development, stimulate affordable housing and green building development, and conserve open space.

The tax credits under threat include the Rehabilitation of Commercial (Historic) Properties Credit (expanded in 2009, 2010 enhancement bill is Governor’s program bill, and has passed Senate and Assembly), and the Historic Homeownership Rehabilitation Credit (expanded in 2009, 2010 enhancement bill is Governor’s program bill, and has passed Senate and Assembly).

The proposal under consideration would defer 50% of allowable credits accrued by a project from 2010 – 2013 until 2013 -2016. Rules for allocation in 2013-2016 will be promulgated by the Commissioner of Tax & Finance, so there is not yet any suggestion as to how the credits will be issued in that three year period.

This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

admin

Buffalo & Erie Co. Historical Names New Director

admin

The board of managers of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society today named Melissa N. Brown, an expert in Western New York history and the Historical Society’s director of research and interpretation, its new director.

Brown, 36, becomes the museum’s 11th director and succeeds Cynthia A. Conides PhD., who will return to her full-time job with Buffalo State College, which &#8220loaned&#8221 Dr. Conides and her expertise to the Society for the past four years. Dr. Conides will stay on part time as curator of special projects at the Historical Society’s museum.

Brown, who helped drive the popular &#8220Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Season&#8221 exhibit last fall, worked closely with Dr. Conides, the head of the college’s Museum Studies Program, on a series of recent initiatives at the Historical Society. Brown is an expert in managing collections and has consulted on more than a dozen major exhibits at the Society and at other Western New York museums.

She will transition into her new position as Dr. Conides reverts to the college by Dec. 31. This will also give Brown time to complete work on a major museum initiative &#8220John Mix Stanley’s Trial of Red Jacket,&#8221 opening in October at the Nottingham Court museum.

&#8220This is a logical transition of expert leadership and the board of managers is delighted that Melissa can move seamlessly to carry on the work Cynthia initiated to grow and modernize the museum,&#8221 said Joan M. Bukowski, president of the Society’s board. &#8220We are extremely gratified that Melissa has worked her way through the museum’s hierarchy to this position of ultimate responsibility. We are impressed by her innovation and imagination and look forward to where she will take us.&#8221

&#8220We are also cognizant that among Buffalo’s leading cultural institutions, including the Albright-Knox, Science Museum and Zoo, the Historical Society also now has a vibrant young leader from a new generation of museum innovators,&#8221 Bukowski said.

Brown returned to her native region from Boston to join the Society’s staff in 1998 as a collections assistant. She received her M.A. in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University in 2000, adding to her 1995 B.A. in history with a museum studies minor from the State University of New York at Oswego.

&#8220This of course represents a fantastic opportunity for me to build on the superior example and leadership of Cynthia Conides and continue our effort to modernize the museum and bring its exhibits up to and beyond current expectations,&#8221 Brown said. &#8220I’m grateful to the board of managers, and the excellent staff here at the museum for this opportunity and I pledge to use all my energy and expertise to make sure we reach our shared goals.&#8221

Dec. 31 also represents the end of the present four-year agreement between the museum and Buffalo State College. The &#8220memorandum of understanding&#8221 allows the college, across Elmwood Avenue from the museum, to aid the museum, as it did with Dr. Conides’ involvement. The board and the college are currently negotiating an extension, which will start Jan. 1, 2011.

A resident of Gasport, Brown has been involved in nearly all the major archiving and collections work at the Society in the last 10 years. Her responsibilities included providing commentary, developing interpretive materials, facilitating exhibit design, performing historic research and scripts, and furthering and maintaining the museum’s collection.

More About The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society

The Society’s mission is to maximize the educational potential for our community’s vast resources and abundant narratives through innovative programming, partnerships and collaborations- to share, preserve and add to our outstanding collections to tell the stories of Western New York, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The Society’s building, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, is the only permanent building erected for the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo’s international fair attended by 8 million people from May to November 1901. The Exposition is best known for being the largest showcase to that time of the uses of electrical illumination. It celebrated the technological innovations that had recently harnessed the generating power of nearby Niagara Falls. During the Exposition, the building served as the New York State Pavilion and was the scene of an intensive schedule of receptions welcoming distinguished guests from around the world.

Awarded the design commission by a state-sponsored competition, young Buffalo architect George Cary (1859-1945), who had been classically trained in Paris, designed the building, faced and corniced with Vermont marble, in Doric style. The beautiful south portico, overlooking Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park, is a scaled-down version of the east front of the Parthenon, in Athens. Cary was able to complete his original design in 1927 when the building was enlarged to accommodate the present-day Library and Auditorium. Eleven relief sculptures, designed by Edmund Amateis, surround the building, each depicting a significant event in local history. The bronze entry doors, designed by J. Woodley Gosling and sculpted by R. Hinton Perry, show allegorical figures depicting &#8220History&#8221 and &#8220Ethnology.&#8221

After the Exposition closed, the building became the headquarters of the Buffalo Historical Society in 1902. The Society, founded in 1862, had previously displayed its growing collections in a series of rented spaces in downtown Buffalo. Today the building hosts the Historical Society’s Research Library (collections include 20,000 books, 200,000 photographs and 2,000 manuscript collections), its Auditorium, long term exhibits BFLO Made! and Neighbors, galleries for temporary exhibits, and the Museum Shop. BECHS is a private not-for-profit organization tax exempt under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It receives operating support from the County of Erie, the City of Buffalo, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA, a state agency), and from members and friends. BECHS is accredited by the American Association of Museums.

35 Places Recommended to State, National Registers

admin

The New York State Board for Historic Preservation recommended that 35 properties and historic districts be added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, including Manhattan’s iconic Park Avenue and the nationally significant Crotona Play Center in the Bronx and the Hotel Lafayette in Buffalo.

The State and National Registers are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects and sites significant in the history, architecture, archeology and culture of New York State and the nation. There are approximately 90,000 historic buildings, structures and sites throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic districts. Property owners, municipalities and organizations from communities throughout the state sponsored the nominations.

Once the recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register.

State and National Historic Register listing can assist property owners in revitalizing the structures, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. Listing will oblige state and federal government agencies whose projects would adversely impact the properties to consider other options. Private projects are not subject to state or federal review after a property is listed, and private property owners – or in historic districts, a majority of property owners – must consent for the listing to move forward.

STATE REVIEW BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS

Allegany County

Ceres School, Ceres – the 1893 one-story frame structure is a surviving example of a late 19th century schoolhouse which served students from both Pennsylvania and New York.

Bronx County

Crotona Play Center, Bronx – the Art Moderne complex was one of eleven immense outdoor swimming pools opened in 1936 by then Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, built through the Depression-era Works Progress Administration.

Cattaraugus County

School House #10/Ivers J. Norton Elementary, Olean – the 1909 school is a rare example of an early 20th century public school constructed with architectural references to the Prairie School style of architecture.

Chemung County

John Brand, Sr. House, Elmira – the intact 1871 large-scale Italianate home is a reflection of the prosperity and prominence of its owner, John Brand, Sr., a late 19th century brick manufacturer, grocer and tobacco farmer.

Chenango County

Rockwell Mills Historic District, Rockwell Mills – laid out along the Unadilla River is an intact example of a 19th century water-powered manufacturing hamlet.

Columbia County

Van Salsbergen Home, Hudson – built as a two-room limestone house around 1700 and expanded around 1860, the noteworthy home was built by early European settlers of the Hudson Valley.

North Hillsdale Methodist Church, North Hillsdale – built between 1837 and 1838, with the portico and steeple added in 1859, the Greek Revival church is a significant example of 19th century rural meetinghouse architecture.

Delaware County

Erskine L. Seeley House, Stamford – the distinctive Queen Anne style house was built in 1900 for Erskine Seeley, a well know leather manufacturer, merchant and prominent citizen of Stamford.

Dutchess County

Second Baptist Church of Dover, Dover Plains – built around 1833, the oldest religious building in the hamlet is an outstanding example early 19th center Protestant meetinghouse design.

Erie County

Hotel Lafayette, Buffalo – the 1902 French Renaissance style hotel is the most important building still standing designed by Louise Bethune, a Buffalo architect who was the first woman in the United States to be recognized as a professional architect by the American Institute of Architects and the Western Association of Architects.

Greene County

Torry-Chittenden Farmhouse, Durham – erected by Revolutionary War veteran William Torrey around 1799, it is distinct intact example of the type of late 18th century farmhouse built by settlers of New England origins.

Moore-Howland Estate, Catskill – built in 1866 by painter Charles Herbert Moore, the cottage with fine views of the Hudson River and Catskills was expanded in 1900 by the members of the wealthy Howland family.

Herkimer County

Thendara Historic District, Webb – a collection of five surviving late 19th and early 20th century associated with development around the Adirondack Division of the New York Central and Hudson Railroad that brought thousands of tourists to the region.

Monroe County

Edward Harrison House, Brockport – today the Brockport Alumni House, the French Second Empire home was built in 1877 by successful Brockport merchant tailor and civic leader Edward Harrison.

East Side Presbyterian Church, Rochester – today the Parsells Avenue Community Church, the simple Romanesque Revival church reflects the growth of the Beechwood section of Rochester in the early 20th century, where the church was built in two stages in 1909 and 1926.

Montgomery County

Caspar Getman Farmstead, Stone Arabia – a significant and highly intact example of family farm buildings from the late 18th to mid 19th century, operated by descendents of the Palatine Germans who settled the region.

Margaret Reaney Memorial Library, St. Johnsville – the 1909 Beaux Arts library and museum donated to the village by local textile manufacturer Joseph Reaney is an excellent example of civic architecture.

New York County

Park Avenue Historic District, New York – the linear corridor from 79th to 96th Street is a repository of some of the finest 1910s and 1920s apartment buildings in New York City, mostly built after a landscaped center mall was erected over an open railroad tunnel, making the avenue more desirable for residential development.

133 East 80th Street, New York – a distinct 1929-30 luxury apartment house designed in the French Gothic and Tudor Revival styles by not architect Rosario Candela, where several citizens nationally prominent in the arts, law, business and government have lived.

Niagara County

The Chilton Avenue-Orchard Parkway Historic District, Niagara Falls – the district includes a rare collection of contiguous, largely intact residential building from the late 1800s and early 1900s that reflect the appearance and character of the city in its heyday.

Park Place Historic District, Niagara Falls – the residential district features intact examples of American residential styles, spanning from late Italianate and Victorian-era Queen Anne to early 20th century craftsman and revival styles.

Morse Cobblestone Farmhouse, Wilson – constructed around 1840, the farmhouse is an excellent example of cobblestone masonry construction in New York.

Oneida County

Munson Williams Proctor Institute, Utica – the 1960 museum and arts center is a significant example of modern architecture designed by internationally-renowned architect Philip Johnson.

Onondaga County

Shepard Settlement Cemetery, Skaneateles – the rural cemetery founded in 1823 contains the graves of at least 30 armed forces veterans of all wars from the Revolutionary War to World War II.

Otsego County

Tunnicliff-Jordan House, Richfield Springs – one of the village’s earliest buildings, it was built between 1810 and 1825 by the sons of an early s
ettler, John Tunnicliff, who operated a saw and grist-mill industry at the site.

Rensselaer County

Chapel and Cultural Center, Troy – the 1968 example of Modernist quasi-religious architecture has been an important venue for the performing and visual arts in Troy.

Rockland County

Houser-Conklin House, Viola – the oldest sandstone portion of the 1775 house was built for Henry Houser, a veteran of the American Revolution.

William Ferndon House, Piermont – the high-style Neoclassical, also known as Ferndon Hall, was built in 1835 for William Ferndon, a successful Piermont woolen mill owner.

Schoharie County

Abraham Sternberg House, Schoharie – a distinctive and intact example of pre- and post-Revolutionary War Dutch and English building practices, built sometime in the late 18th century on land owned by the Sternberg family since the 1740s.

Steuben County

Gold Seal Winery, Hammondsport – originally the Urbana Wine Company, the 1865 Keuka Lake complex was the second winery established in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Suffolk County

Frank W. Smith House, Amityville – the 1901 Queen Anne was built by prominent store owner Frank Smith during a period of rapid growth in the village due to the arrival of the railroad.

Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church, Sayville – the distinctive 1887-88 English Romanesque/Norman Revival church and its 1879 rectory were designed by noted Long Island architect Isaac H. Green, Jr.

Tompkins County

Telluride House, Ithaca – the 1909 example of early 20th century American architecture at Cornell University was built by Lucien Nunn, who made his fortune mining in Telluride, Colorado, and founded the Telluride Association to encourage pursuit of technical careers, particularly engineering.

Ulster/Delaware Counties

Amelita Galli-Curci Estate, Fleischmanns – the 1922 Catskill mountain estate named Sul Monte was designed by renowned country house architect Harrie T. Lindeberg for acclaimed Italian-American opera soprano Amelita Galli-Curci.

Westchester County

Witthoefft Residence, Armonk – the 1957 articulated steel structure is a rare example of modernist architectural design in the New York City suburbs, designed by architect Arthur Witthoefft.

History Canceled:Regents Eliminates History Assesments

admin

The New York State Board of Regents voted to approve two sets of strategies to achieve cost reductions in the state assessment program at its full Board meeting in Albany this week. History educators will no doubt be appalled at the elimination of 5th and 8th grade Social Studies examinations, which include the history curriculum. The two plans were laid out in a press release:

* If the State budget includes the $7 million that the Regents have requested for the assessment program, the Board approved a cost reduction of $4.25 million to be achieved through reduced reliance on educational specialists in developing tests ($1.25 million), discontinuance of paper-based scoring materials for examinations ($.60 million), elimination of component retesting for high school Math and English exams ($1.6 million), and elimination of 5th and 8th grade Social Studies examinations ($.80 million).

* If the State budget does not include the $7 million that the Regents have requested, or a final State Budget is not in place by August 1, 2010, the Board approved additional reductions of $6.1 million to further offset the deficit. These reductions would be achieved by eliminating Grade 8 second language proficiency exams ($2.0 million), eliminating August administration of Algebra II/Trigonometry and Chemistry high school Regents exams ($.8 million), eliminating all high school Foreign Language exams except for Spanish and French($1.2 million), an immediate end to translation of state assessments into Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Korean, and Russian while continuing translation into Spanish ($.75 million), and eliminating January high school Regents exams ($1.4 million).

Should additional funds be included in the P-12 budget the reductions listed last in the priority order above would be the first to be restored.

&#8220These were tough decisions made in light of the State’s difficult financial situation&#8221 Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said, &#8220Foremost in our consideration was the concern we heard from stakeholders across the State that the cuts to the assessment program made to achieve savings should not have an impact on high school graduation.&#8221

Background on these decisions was also provided in the press release, as follows:

The State Education Department’s expense to operate the assessment program continues to rise in light of the State’s fiscal crisis as a result of several factors including: inflation, the addition of examinations, increased cost of testing vendor contracts, and the need for more test security. Based on the Executive Budget, SED projects a deficit of approximately $11.5 million in available funding in 2010-11 for P-12 programs, including the assessment program. The Regents have requested $7 million in additional State funds for the assessment program from the Legislature. The State Education Department has limited ability to address the P-12 deficit by redirecting federal or state funds dedicated to specific purposes by title or statute. SED will explore further internal cost reduction strategies to eliminate the remaining deficit of $1.1 million in the P-12 budget.

Full details of the cost reduction strategies the Board of Regents approved are on the web.

A webcast of the full board meeting of the Board of Regents is also available online.

Northeast Public Radio Launches History Program

admin

WAMC Northeast Public Radio and the New York State Archives Partnership Trust present the Power of Words, a new series of programs that follows American history through some of the most memorable and inspiring political speeches of our time. The series of 26 programs kicks off tomorrow Friday, June 25th at 1 p.m. and a new program will air every other week on WAMC.

On the debut program, WAMC’s Alan Chartock and Dr. David Woolner, senior fellow and resident historian at the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, will set the scene and provide context and analysis of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address. In addition, listeners will have an opportunity to actually hear the speech as it was delivered on March 4th, 1933. Other speeches in the year-long series include Barack Obama’s inaugural address, Ronald Reagan’s speech at the Berlin Wall, John F. Kennedy’s &#8220I am a Berliner&#8221 speech, and more.

WAMC’s President Alan Chartock says, &#8220It is imperative that everyone remember and learn where we came from and what this country has gone through in tough times. Great leaders are hard to come by and these great speeches can teach us a great deal about courage and leadership. WAMC is very proud of this series.&#8221

Support for the series is provided by the Archives Partnership Trust- Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering P.C.- the New York Council for the Humanities, a local affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities- and Assemblyman Jack McEneny.

&#8220We could not be more indebted to WAMC for their leadership on this series and to our sponsors for their support,&#8221 said Robert E. Bullock, President of the Archives Partnership Trust. &#8220It is our hope that this series will encourage citizens to truly understand the role of great ideas and transformational language in our everyday lives.&#8221

WAMC Northeast Public Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day with information and cultural programming from stations reaching parts of seven Northeastern states. WAMC is an award-winning producer of regionally based programming. WAMC is a member station of National Public Radio and is affiliated with Public Radio International and American Public Media.

The program will be broadcast over WAMC-FM 90.3 FM, Albany- WAMC, 1400 AM, Albany- WAMK 90.9 FM, Kingston- WOSR, 91.7 FM, Middletown- WCEL, 91.9 FM, Plattsburgh- WCAN, 93.3 FM, Canajoharie- WANC, 103.9 FM, Ticonderoga- WRUN, 90.3 FM, Remsen-Utica- WAMQ 105.1 FM, Great Barrington, MA- 93.1 FM, Troy- 99.3 FM, Oneonta- 97.1 FM, Hudson- 107.1 FM, Warwick- 107.7 FM, Newburgh- 103.9 FM, Beacon- 96.5 FM, Ellenville- 106.9, Middletown- 102.1, Highland, NY and 90.9 FM, Milford, PA.- 97.3 FM, Cooperstown and on-line at http://www.wamc.org/.

Warhorse’s Olympic Bronze at Olympic Museum

admin

The Lake Placid 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Museum has added another piece to its collection of artifacts from last February’s 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, Andrew Weibrecht’s men’s Super-G bronze medal.

Weibrecht’s bronze medal helped spark the U.S. alpine ski team to a record eight medals in Vancouver. Overall, the U.S. Olympic squad celebrated its best Olympics ever, claiming the overall medal count with 37.

“The medal was turned over for display and for safe keeping between appearances,” noted museum curator Liz Defazio. “It’s so nice for these athletes to have a place where they can share their accomplishments with others… sort of their home away from home.”

Nicknamed the “Warhorse” on the international alpine ski tour, Weibrecht began skiing at the age of five at Whiteface Mountain and began racing with the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) program by the time he was 10. He had only been on the World Cup circuit since 2006 and Vancouver was his first Olympic Winter Games.

There are quite a number of artifacts on display in the museum from the 2010 winter games donated by several of the 12 area athletes who competed, as well as coaches and officials. The artifacts include race gear, Opening Ceremony clothing, official U.S. Olympic team clothing, event tickets, programs and pins.

Lake Placid’s 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Museum features the largest collection of winter Olympic artifacts outside the International Olympic Committee’s museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Some of the artifacts include the first Winter Olympic medal awarded, gold in 1924 in Chamonix, France, to Lake Placid native and speedskater Charles Jewtraw, equipment worn by U.S. goalie Jim Craig during the 1980 winter games, parade clothing from the 1932 winter games, athletes participation medals and Olympic medals from every winter Olympics.

Admission to the museum is $6 for adults and $4 for juniors and seniors. Admission is also included when purchasing an Olympic Sites Passport. The Passport gives visitors access to each of ORDA’s Olympic venues—from Whiteface Mountain to the Olympic Sports Complex and everything in between. Sold for $29 at the ORDA Store and all of our ticket offices, the Passport saves you time, money, and gets you into the venues at a good value. For more information about the Olympic Sites Passport, log on to http://www.whiteface.com/summer/plan/passport.php.

Photo: Andrew Weibrecht’s Super-G Bronze Medal. Courtesy 1932 and 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Museum, Lake Placid, NY.

SUNY ESF Students Launch Olana Nature Walks

admin

Olana State Historic Site interns Danielle and Jessica Zeller will launch three self-guided nature walks on Sunday, June 27th. Each of the three experiences will focus on a different part of Olana’s landscape- the lake, meadows and forests.

“Did you know Olana State Historic Site is one of only five known locations in the state where you can see Shrubby St. John’s Wort, a threatened species in New York? Or that Olana’s lake is home to invasive Chinese Mystery Snails?” ask the interns. “You can find out more about these species and others in the area on the nature walks.”

Starting on Sunday, visitors can pick up a map and guide in Olana’s Visitor Center or Wagon House Education Center, then venture out to learn more about the site’s natural history. On Sunday, June 27th, Danielle and Jessica will be at Olana’s Visitor Center between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. promoting the new guides and seeking feedback on their content.

Danielle and Jessica are 2006 alumni of Cairo-Durham High School and 2008 alumni of Columbia Greene Community College. Both are now enrolled in the Natural History and Interpretation program at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse.

Olana, the home and studio of Hudson River School artist Frederic E. Church, is a New York State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark. It is located at 5720 Route 9G in Hudson. Olana is one of six historic sites and 15 parks administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Taconic Region. The Olana Partnership is a private, not-for-profit organization, which works cooperatively with New York State to support the preservation, restoration, development, and improvement of Olana State Historic Site. Call 518-828-0135, visit www.nysparks.com or www.olana.org for further information.

Photo: Danielle and Jessica Zeller exploring Olana’s Lake Road, Image courtesy Olana State Historic Site, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

New Paltz: Moonlight Historic Harcourt Preserve Walk

admin

Historic Huguenot Street and the Wallkill Valley Land Trust have come together with a unique and new offering in New Paltz, on Saturday, June 26th at dusk: a moonlight walk on the 54-acre Harcourt Preserve that borders Huguenot Street. As the sun sets and the moon rises, participants will enjoy a drink on the porch of the DuBois Fort before setting off to see the historic preserve as few do – by the light of the moon. Full moons were a much anticipated treat in the days before electricity – an opportunity for people to venture out at night and enjoy the ability to see by the light of the moon.

The tour will begin at 8:30pm at the DuBois Fort Visitor Center at 81 Huguenot Street in New Paltz with a toast to the rise of the full moon with a glass of sparkling cider or wine. The easy, flat one-and-a-half-mile walk is the perfect opportunity to experience the kind of summer nights the original inhabitants of Huguenot Street once did.

Advance reservations are not required, but are suggested. To make a reservation, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1889.

Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), located on the banks of the Wallkill River, is where small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678. Today, just steps from downtown New Paltz, the site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting. HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world. For more information about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660.

Photo: Moonlight over the serene Harcourt Preserve along the Wallkill River in New Paltz.

Dead Apple Tours Offers History of NYCs Deceased

admin

A new tour company is taking guests on a unusual look at New York City. The brainchild of Drew Raphael, a native New Yorker, Dead Apple Tours was inspired after watching fans gather outside the home of Heath Ledger immediately after the news of his death. Raphael figured with so many interesting locations in New York of famous and infamous accidental deaths, murders and suicides—why not collect a group of these experiences into one tour to get a fuller picture of the Big Apple? Why not present the “living history of New York’s deceased?” Dead Apple Tours gives passengers on its downtown tours a unique sightseeing experience in a rare, classic hearse that has been customized for a comfortable ride.

Highlights of the Dead Apple Tours include:

* The Soho spot where Heath Ledger spent his final hours.
* The secret of the “Hangman’s Elm” and “Dead Man’s Curve.”
* The Little Italy locale where mobster “Crazy Joe” Gallo ate his last bowl of pasta
* The spot where Sid Vicious allegedly killed girlfriend Nancy Spungen as well as the location where he eventually overdosed himself, and more.

The star of Dead Apple Tours is “Desdemona”- one of only 478 Cadillac Superior Crown Royale Hearses made in 1960 and believed to be one of only a handful left in existence today. This deluxe vehicle has been painstakingly restored and customized to provide a comfortable, modern ride in plush seats with the comfort of air conditioning, WiFi and video screens to help complete the story-telling adventure.

The downtown tour runs approximately two hours, starting at the Empire State Building and ending at the South Street Seaport. Winding through the streets of lower Manhattan participants learn “New York City Death Fun Facts” while Dead Apple Tours takes them to the exact locations the most famous deaths occurred.