After months of Zoom meetings, our staff is again doing what we love to do–visiting buildings and meeting with loan and grant applicants, architects, and contractors.
We have a record 15 loan projects in construction, out to bid, or in planning. Our Historic Properties Fund Project Managers Jim Mahoney and Blaire Walsh are visiting 10 active construction sites in Bedford Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, Jackson Heights, NoHo, Ladies Mile, and Mt. Morris Park. Our loans are helping with facade, window, parapet, and brownstone stoop restorations, waterproofing, and new stoop ironwork.
“It’s good to get back in the field to meet people and see the work being completed in person,” – Jim Mahoney, Project and Accounting Manager – New York City Historic Properties Fund
Our Sacred Sites team, Ann Friedman and Colleen Heemeyer will soon be driving to visit 20 applicants throughout the state. Ann will visit religious institutions in the Hudson Valley and the City – from Albany, Troy, and Saratoga to South Bushwick in Brooklyn. Colleen gets the upstate route that includes Syracuse, Webster, Auburn, Binghamton, and Camillus.
They will meet with religious and lay leaders and examine concerns about structural, roof and masonry repairs, stabilizing spires and towers, stone repointing, belltower work, and stained glass restoration and repair.
“Every time I’m on the road connecting with our grantees, seeing their beautiful buildings, and learning more about the services and programming they offer in their communities, it reminds me of why the Sacred Sites Program is so important.” – Colleen Heemeyer, Deputy Director, Grants and Preservation Services
Our Sacred Sites grants make news throughout the state. Here’s a recent story about roof repairs we funded at Highbridge Community Church in the Bronx.
After a record number of Emergency Grants last year, Preservation Services Director Alex Herrera recently got to see completed emergency work we funded at Casa Belvedere and the Judge Jacob Tysen House, both on Staten Island.
“You get a much better look at details visiting in person and it’s always helpful to speak to people while you are looking at the work.” – Alex Herrera, Preservation Services Director
And I took my first trip out of the City in 15 months this past weekend, and my first train out of Moynihan Train Hall. It was exciting after all those years of waiting and working for the Hall to be completed. The trip up the Hudson River was never lovelier. Willie Nelson is right. It is good to be on the road again.
With best wishes from all of us for your health and safety,
Peg Breen, President
The New York Landmarks Conservancy
info@nylandmarks.org