Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that New York State Board for Historic Preservation is recommending that three WNY properties (out of 17 in the state) be added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
“These nominations pay tribute to some of the most exceptional and fascinating sites in New York State history,” Governor Cuomo said. “By placing these landmarks on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, we can ensure these locations have the funding they need to preserve and promote the very best of New York’s past, present and future.”
There are more than 120,000 historic buildings, structures and sites throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As we have seen in the past, this type of accreditation can help to preserve at-risk buildings, while providing funding channels that include matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. Since 2013, the State has been providing legislation for rehabilitation tax credits, which has served to preserve both historic commercial properties and owner-occupied historic homes.
Once the recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, the properties are:
- Listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places
- Nominated to the National Register of Historic Places
- Reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register
The three regional nominations for State and National Registers of Historic Places are as follows:
Buffalo Public School #51, Buffalo (101 Hertel Avenue – lead image) – Built in two stages, the first in 1894-1895 and the second in 1927-28, PS 51 notably incorporates one of Buffalo’s only remaining intact 19th-century school buildings, most of which were demolished and replaced by modern schools during the 20th century.
First Presbyterian Church and the Lewiston Village Cemetery, Lewiston – With nearly two thousand and five hundred internments dating to 1802 to the present, Lewiston Village Cemetery documents the history of the village. The church was built in stages between ca. 1830 and 1965 and is the oldest religious building in the village.
Seneca Plumbing and Heating Company Building, Buffalo (192 Seneca Street) – The building was home to the business founded by Max Linsky, a Jewish Russian immigrant, in 1937 and is notable for its association with the growth and success of Buffalo’s Jewish immigrant population (see preservation).
More information and photos of the nominations are available on the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.