FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Historic Richmond Town Awarded a Preserve New York Grant

This grant will fund a Cultural Resource Survey

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STATEN ISLAND, NY, 10/05/20Historic Richmond Town is one of this year’s Preserve New York (PNY) grantees. Their grant of $3,200 will fund a Cultural Resource Survey of the museum village. The Preservation League of NYS and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) are thrilled to help fund this important work. 

Historic Richmond Town is a museum village in Staten Island that preserves three centuries of Staten Island history, including early New World Dutch vernacular buildings, nineteenth century commercial buildings and more. The resources embody the district's two principal identities as a historic community and a museum village. Determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in a 2019 survey, this project will lead to a National Register Historic District nomination for Historic Richmond Town. A $3,200 Preserve New York grant will enable the Staten Island Historical Society/Historic Richmond Town to hire AKRF, Inc. to complete the nomination. 

At its 2020 meeting, the Preserve New York grant panel selected 19 applicants in 15 counties to receive support totaling $193,390. Many of these grants will lead to historic district designation or expansion, allowing property owners to take advantage of the New York State and Federal Historic Tax Credits. With the announcement of the 2020 awards, support provided by Preserve New York since its launch in 1993 totals more than $3 million to 457 projects statewide. 

The Preserve New York grant program is a partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Preservation League, made possible with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. PNY enables the Preservation League to support projects in all of New York’s 62 counties.

Since 1993, the Preserve New York grant program has been providing funds to municipalities and nonprofit organizations that need technical, professional assistance to guide a variety of preservation projects. The historic structure reports, building condition reports, cultural landscape reports, and cultural resource surveys that are funded through this program can have profound impacts on the sites they are studying. 

2020 PNY Grant Recipients:
Albany County: Albany County Historical Association - $10,000; Historic Albany Foundation - $15,000 | Broome County: City of Binghamton Department of Planning, Housing & Community Development - $8,000 | Cayuga County: Howland Stone Store Museum - $10,000 | Delaware County: Town of Tompkins - $4,000; Franklin Stock Company at Chapel Hall d/b/a Franklin Stage Co. - $ 5,200 | Dutchess County: Scenic Hudson, Inc. - $15,000 | Kings County: Prospect Lefferts Gardens Heritage Council, Inc. – $8,800 | Livingston County: Village of Nunda - $10,000; Village of Avon - $13,440.00 | Monroe County: South East Area Coalition - $10,000; Greece Historical Society - $15,000 | Ontario County: Village of Naples - $18,150 | Queens County: Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation - $10,000 | Rensselaer County: Troy Public Library - $15,000 | Richmond County: Staten Island Historical Society d/b/a Historic Richmond Town - $3,200 | Sullivan County: Sullivan County Land Bank Corporation - $5,000 | Ulster County: Town of Marlborough - $10,000 | Washington County: Village of Greenwich - $7,600

“Architecture and design are vital art forms that greatly impact the character and health of communities across the state,” said Mara Manus, Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts. “NYSCA is proud to partner with Preservation League of New York State to provide organizations and municipalities across the state with financial support to advance their innovative preservation initiatives.”

“Our longtime partnership with NYSCA has enabled us to support preservation initiatives in all of New York’s 62 counties,” said Erin Tobin, Vice President for Policy and Preservation and the Preservation League. “This year’s group of Preserve New York grant recipients continues the successful track record of this program of enabling preservation to thrive in every corner of the state.”

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About the Preservation League of New York State:
Since its founding in 1974, the Preservation League has built a reputation for action and effectiveness. Our goal has been to preserve our historic buildings, districts, and landscapes and to build a better New York, one community at a time. The Preservation League of New York State invests in people and projects that champion the essential role of preservation in community revitalization, sustainable economic growth and the protection of our historic buildings and landscapes. We lead advocacy, economic development, and education programs across the state. 

Connect with us at preservenys.org, facebook.com/preservenys, twitter.com/preservenys, and instagram.com/preservenys.

About Historic Richmond Town:
Historic Richmond Town is dedicated to creating opportunities for the  public to explore the diversity of the American experience, especially  that of Staten Island and its neighboring communities from the colonial  period to the present. Historic Richmond Town preserves and maintains 40  historic structures over 112 acres of preserved parkland across four  unique sites on Staten Island. The main site is a living history village  featuring the Historical Museum that showcases the vast collection  through engaging exhibitions. Historic Richmond Town offers public  tours, membership, lectures, workshops, over a dozen special events and a  variety of educational programs. A visit to Historic Richmond Town is  an immersive step into history.

Historic Richmond Town
441 Clark Avenue
718-351-1611
historicrichmondtown.org

Historic Richmond Town is a non-profit educational cultural  institution. Programs and events help raise funds to support the  mission. Historic Richmond Town is operated by the Staten Island  Historical Society, a Section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation  instituted and incorporated in 1856.

Press Contact:
Katy Peace
Director of Communications, Preservation League of New York State
kpeace@preservenys.org
518.462.5658 ext. 17

Amy Kennard
Director of External Affairs, Historic Richmond Town
akennard@historicrichmondtown.org
718-351-1611, ex. 266