NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project Receives a 2019 Excellence in Preservation Award

The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project has been named one of this year's Excellence in Historic Preservation award winners by the Preservation League of New York State. Along with seven other honorees, the Project represents a shining example of historic preservation done well. The League's statewide awards program has been honoring notable achievements in retaining, promoting, and reusing New York State's irreplaceable architectural heritage since 1984. The Project and its fellow 2019 award recipients will be honored in New York City:

Preservation League of NYS "Excellence in Historic Preservation" awards ceremony

Thursday, May 9, 2019, at 6:00 pm

The historic New York Yacht Club, 37 West 44th Street, New York, NY

preservenys.org/2019awards

The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project (www.nyclgbtsites.org) is a pioneering cultural heritage initiative and educational resource that is comprehensively identifying sites connected to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history and culture in New York City. Launched in 2015 by preservation professionals, the project makes an invisible history visible by identifying extant historic LGBT locations. The project was catalyzed by funding from the National Park Service Underrepresented Community Grant Program, administered in collaboration with the New York State Historic Preservation Office, to increase diversity on the National Register of Historic Places. Based on its research, the project nominates LGBT sites to the National Register of Historic Places, curates walking tours, presents lectures, engages the community through events, and develops educational opportunities. Its robust social media presence (@nyclgbtsites) disseminates LGBT place-based historical content. In December 2018, the Project received the New York State Historic Preservation Award.

"It is wonderful to see what the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project has been able to do to shine a light on underrepresented communities within the preservation community," said Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo. "The model that they are setting is sure to inspire similar groups within New York State and around the country."

"We are pleased to have our work recognized by the League. The "Excellence in Preservation" award helps to validate that LGBT history is American history," said Amanda Davis, project manager of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. "As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising this June, it's important to recognize LGBT place-based history and the influence that the community has had on New York State and American culture."

This organization serves as a local, state, and regional example of expanding National Register designation to include sites relating to underrepresented history. They have truly set a new standard for cultural sites and underrepresented communities. The Preservation League team is so pleased that this effort will receive statewide recognition.

The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project team includes Co-Directors Andrew S. Dolkart, Ken Lustbader, Jay Shockley, and Project Manager Amanda Davis.

2019 Awardees:

• Graycliff Estate - Isabelle Martin House | Derby, Erie County
• Eastman Gardens | Rochester, Monroe County
• NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project | NYC
• Knickerbocker Club: Centennial Renewal | New York City
• RUPCO East End Apartments of Historic Newburgh | Newburgh, Orange County
• Walton & Willett Stone Store - Cahill Landing | Oswego, Oswego County
• The News Apartments | Troy, Rensselaer County
• Neumann House designed by Marcel Breuer | Croton-on-Hudson, Westchester County

As the Preservation League honors excellence in historic preservation, they will also look toward preservation's future with the inaugural Zabar Family Scholarship. Following the Excellence award presentation, three current students will receive a scholarship of $1,000 each in support of their studies in historic preservation. They are Tabitha O'Connell (SUNY's University at Buffalo), Camille Sasena (Pratt Institute), and Ryan Zeek (Columbia University).