Saratoga 150 – Porch Contest

By saratogapreservation | Published: May 9, 2013

The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation presents a summer track season Porch Contest to coincide with the Saratoga 150 Celebration, celebrating 150 years of racing in historic Saratoga Springs. To enter your porch, please review the rules and use either the online entry form or print the form and mail it in before July 24th.

CLICK HERE to fill out the online Porch Contest Entry Form.

Or, print the form out and mail to:
Attn: Saratoga 150 – Porch Contest
112 Spring Street, Suite 203
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

SPIRIT OF PRESERVATION CELEBRATION 2013

By saratogapreservation | Published: April 30, 2013

As part of National Preservation Month, Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation will recognize the George S. Bolster Collection and Mark Straus at the 11th Annual Spirit of Preservation Celebration on Friday May 17, 2013 at 6PM at the Saratoga Springs City Center. The Spirit of Preservation Celebration honors organizations and individuals who through their vision and dedication have fostered historic preservation in Saratoga Springs and contributed to the overall quality of life in our city. This exciting event will feature a cocktail party along with an award ceremony where honorees will be introduced by speakers, David Marcell and Julia Stokes.

At this time, SSPF invites community members, business owners, friends, and colleagues, to join Honorary Chair Charles V. Wait in recognizing the George Bolster Collection and Mark Straus for their significant contributions to the city, by joining the Spirit of Preservation Celebration Honorary Committee or becoming a Corporate Sponsor. The names of Honorary Committee Members and logos of Corporate Sponsors will be listed on the event invitation and program with other distinguished individuals, businesses, and civic leaders of Saratoga Springs. Purchase your Honorary Committee or Corporate Sponsorship HERE.

This year the George S. Bolster Collection of the Saratoga Springs History Museum will be recognized for its contributions to preserving the rich architecture and history of Saratoga Springs. Through collecting images of notable early photographers such as Harry B. Settle, Jesse S. Wooley, and others, as well as taking his own photographs, George Bolster left an invaluable resource of 325,000 images to the community. These photographs have been used to supplement the many writings on the history of Saratoga Springs and have provided the basis for many building restorations. The collection has preserved thousands of images of places that are lost and still exist today, documenting the city’s development for future generations to explore and appreciate. Beverley Mastrianni worked with George Bolster indexing the images beginning in 1981 and helped to ensure the Collection was preserved and accessible to the public. For her perseverance and dedication, Beverley will accept the award on behalf of the George S. Bolster Collection.

Mark Straus will be honored for his 40-year commitment to the stewardship of Saratoga Springs’ historic buildings. In the early 1970s, his goal was to breathe new life into the struggling downtown by creating an exciting streetscape to draw residents and visitors to shop locally-owned businesses, including his own retail shop, Mabou. Through solid rehabilitation and business principles he preserved a key shopping block at the center of Broadway, including the Downstreet Market Place and portions of the iconic Ainsworth Building. In addition, Mr. Straus was instrumental in helping to purchase and complete the first rehabilitation of the York Avenue Waldorf School building. Over the years, he has updated, renovated, and adaptively reused spaces to ensure the survival of some of Saratoga Spring’s architectural gems. As he moves slowly towards retirement, he intends to find buyers for his properties who will have the same sense of stewardship.

Anyone interested in participating in the Honorary Committee or being a Corporate Sponsor for the event should respond by Friday, March 22, 2013 in order to be listed in the invitation.  After March 22, 2013 names will be listed in the program. Please contact Sara Boivin, Membership & Programs Director, at (518)-587-5030 or sboivin@saratogapreservation.org.

For more information regarding Honorary Committee or Corporate Sponsorship opportunities, as well as event updates, please visit www.saratogapreservation.org.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Education, Events & Programs, Preservation in Action, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

66 Franklin Street – Preservation Foundation Disappointed by Decision

By saratogapreservation | Published: March 15, 2013

The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is disappointed with the recent New York State Supreme Court decision that upheld the December 5, 2012 Design Review Commission (DRC) decision to permit the demolition of the 1871 Winans-Crippen house located at 66 Franklin Street.  The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s mission is to promote the preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.  Being one of the last remaining buildings designed by architect J.D. Stevens, who designed the significant United States and Grand Union Hotels that no longer exist, and a contributing building to the Franklin Square-West Side Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Foundation feels that it is important and worthy of preservation. 

The Foundation, along with its legal counsel, had a different interpretation of the Historic Review Ordinance and felt that requirements of the Historic Review Ordinance failed to be met.”  The Foundation will have to review the Judge’s decision in detail to determine whether it should be appealed.

This demolition application was reviewed under the Historic Review Ordinance prior to the recent amendments to the Historic Review Ordinance that were adopted by the City in September 2012.  The amendments to the Historic Review Ordinance strengthen and clarify the demolition criteria that the DRC must now follow.

This particular case highlighted the need for a vacant building registry.  Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation worked along with the City of Saratoga Springs Public Safety Department to develop and adopt a Vacant Building Registry this year. The Vacant Building Registry brings us one step closer towards preventing buildings from deteriorating to the point where demolition is considered the only option.

 

 

Posted in Advocacy | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Resource Directory Launched

By saratogapreservation | Published: March 15, 2013

FOR PROPERTY OWNERS:

In March 2013, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation (SSPF) launched a Resource Directory for historic property owners in and around Saratoga Springs. The Directory serves to aid the many historic property howers who contact SSPF regarding requests for technical assistance regarding restoration, rehabilitation, and renovation information.

The list of architects, engineers, contractors, landscapers, vendors, and others provided in the Directory have experience working in the realm of historic properties. Businesses or individuals on this list applied via application and have provided at least three references of their work. This list is renewed each year and is not a recommendation or endorsement by SSPF for services rendered. SSPF can relay reference information only. We encourage property owners to get proposals or quotes from several companies or sources before committing to a business or individual on this list. SSPF has categorized the Resource Directory for easy reference.

Please find a printable Resource Directory HERE.

The Resource Directory will be available in the spring of 2013, as a downloadable and printable document. The Directory will also be available at the SSPF office.

 

FOR VENDORS:

If you are a business, firm, or individual with experience working on historic properties, your business should be listed in our Resource Directory. A listing in the Resource Directory  will provide you with access to the more than 10,000 visitors to our website www.saratogapreservation.org, and the countless property owners who visit or call our office seeking guidance and advice as they rehabilitate their homes and buildings. Upon complete and return of your application, your name, business, and contact information will be listed in the Directory. SSPF will relay the refereces you have provided to property owners and encourage them to seek several proposals before hiring a business or individual. SSPF will categorize your business accoding to your application for easy reference.

Please find a printable Resource Directory Application HERE.

There is a non-refundable annual fee of $15 for Business Members/$30 for Non-Members for this service. If you are not already a Business Member, please become one now to recieve a discount on your application fee and other benefits.

The Resource Directory will be available in the spring of 2013, as a downloadable and printable document. The Directory will also be avialable at the SSPF office.

 

 

 

 

 


Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

SACRED PLACES TOUR 2013

By saratogapreservation | Published: March 15, 2013

SACRED PLACES TOUR

Saturday, April 20, 2013

1-5pm

$15 per person

(Image: Universal Preservation Hall, 25 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs)

Explore inside and out, the churches, cemeteries, burial grounds, temples, and new-use sacred sites on this year’s SACRED PLACES TOUR on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 1-5pm. While there are many sacred sites in Saratoga Springs, this year we will focus on locations researched by Skidmore students for a public history course with Professor Jordana Dym. Therefore, the tour will include the following locations based on their coursework; Bethesda Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church, Universal Preservation Hall, Gideon Putnam Burial Ground, Greenridge Cemetery, and a condo in the Stone Abbey.

Each site will have volunteers present to discuss the history and current use of the building. Participants may also be treated to music and dispaly materials in various locations. We look forward to shedding light on these locations as well as Saratoga’s rich and varied religious past. The SACRED PLACES TOUR benefits the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation which preserves and protects the places that matter in Saratoga Springs.

For advance tickets call 518-587-5030 or buy ONLINE. To purchase tickets the day of the event, please go to the Chapel, 110 Spring Street between 1-3pm to get your ticket, map, and program.

In addtion to the SACRED PLACES TOUR, Skidmore students also compiled their research into an interactive website featuring brief historial descriptions, maps, images, interviews, and videos. View the WEBSITE.

Students have also provided content toward four future articles for the Foundation’s regular Preservation Matters column in the Saratogian.

Related Preservation Matters Articles:

ARTICLE: Health, History, Horses & Holy?, The Saratogian

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Advocacy, Education, Events & Programs, Preservation in Action, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Preservation Matters! Skidmore College

By saratogapreservation | Published: February 4, 2013

Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation

Preservation Matters

Samantha Bosshart, Executive Director

August 30, 2012

Skidmore Hall: Where It All Began

With a new a new academic year beginning this week at Skidmore College, it is a fitting time to reflect on the college’s origins in downtown Saratoga Springs.  When I walk to the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation office at 112 Spring Street, I walk through parts of the original Skidmore College campus.  I am often in awe of the variety of buildings that were acquired and creatively used for residences and classrooms.  Take a moment and imagine what downtown would be like if history had made a different turn in 1961, and the Skidmore Board of Trustees had not accepted the offer made by Texas Instruments founder J. Erik Jonsson to buy the 650-acre Woodlawn Park for a new campus and the campus had remained downtown.

Of this much we can be sure: students would be all over the area east of Congress Park, living in residences and heading to classes in buildings located on Circular Street, Regent Street, Union Avenue, and other streets in the area. When the college broke ground for the new campus in 1963, it owned or rented some 80 buildings, according to Robert Jones, associate professor and chair of economics, and Heather Moore ’08, who have thoroughly documented Skidmore’s downtown campus in their 2007 volume, The Architect of Necessity.  Most of these buildings are still standing and remain a testament to the first 50 years of the college’s history.

Today one of the more obvious remnants of Skidmore’s downtown presence is the four- and five-story structure at the corner of Circular and Spring Streets that still bears the name “Skidmore Hall” over its main entrance, which today is known as the Skidmore Apartments.  Emerson F. Carter and the Reverend Luther F. Beecher constructed the elegant building for a cost of $30,000 establishing the Temple Grove Seminary. The name “Temple Grove” deriving from the church association and the large grove of pine trees on the property.  After nine years, most likely due to the Civil War, the seminary failed.  In 1868 the building was purchased by Charles F. Dowd, an instrumental figure in the adoption of multiple time zones, and his wife, Harriet North Dowd opened the new Temple Grove Seminary. A progressive school, the Seminary offered women courses in such subjects as English and literature, social sciences, mathematics, and foreign languages.

In 1903, three years after the seminary closed, Lucy Skidmore Scribner purchased the Dowd estate for the Young Women’s Industrial Club (YWIC), an enterprise to provide young women skills to support themselves during the winter months when the track, giant hotels, casinos and many restaurants closed. Although Lucy Scribner bought the building in six years earlier, it was not used until 1909. Naming it Skidmore Hall in honor of her parents, she brought the building into service as the Women’s Exchange, a shop where YWIC members could sell items they had sewn, such as aprons and petticoats. In 1911, the YWIC changed its name to the Skidmore School of Arts and began to offer a broader range of courses, including some at the college level designed to train teachers. That required more space, and so Mrs. Scribner built a five-story addition to support teacher training, household arts and science, and commerce and trade.

“Many early memories were made in this building,” write Jones and Moore in The Architect of Necessity. As an example, they offer the Wednesday evening dinners known as ‘Christian Night,’ in which all young women wore white dresses and ate by candlelight before proceeding to meetings of the Christian Association.” The dining room where these dinners took place, they write, “was nationally known as the most beautiful dining room at any American women’s college.”

In 1935, all administrative offices were removed from Skidmore Hall and it was remodeled into a dormitory. By 1940, it was providing housing for the entire senior class – until senior classes became too large in the 1960s. Skidmore Hall is now one of the several original Skidmore College campus buildings that are privately owned by Skidmore Apartments.

Join Linda Trela today for the last Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation Summer Sunday Stroll “A Campus & Queen Annes” which will highlight Skidmore Hall, along with the churches, mansions, and carriage houses that all became part of the original Skidmore campus. The 90-minute tour will begin at 10:30am at the SE Corner of Union Avenue and Circular Street.  Cost is $5 for members; $8 for non-members.  No reservation necessary.

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

 

Posted in Advocacy, Education, Preservation in Action | Comments closed

Preservation Matters! Plaque Program

By saratogapreservation | Published: February 4, 2013

Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation

Preservation Matters

Samantha Bosshart, Executive Director

September 13, 2012

 

Historic Plaque Program: The History of Your House Matters

Have you ever wondered about the history of your house? When it was built? Who owned it? What happened to the people who lived there?

 

The Historic Plaque Program of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation offers an easy and relatively inexpensive way to get answers to these and other questions you may have about your home. It begins with one of our trained researchers thoroughly investigating the ownership of your home and ends with you receiving a detailed written history and a bronze plaque with the historic name of your house and date of construction for display on your house.

 

You probably have seen these plaques as you walk or drive through many of Saratoga Springs’ historic neighborhoods. Hundreds of buildings in Saratoga Springs now have them, educating residents and visitors alike about the history of our City. There are many more houses in the city that are at least 50 years old or older that have interesting histories deserving of a historic plaque.

 

“The amount of detail and enthusiasm in the reports is outstanding,” says Jay Baldwin, owner of Abel-Riley-Ramsdill Farm at 255 Kaydeross Avenue built circa 1795, one of the oldest homes in the city. “I had a historic house history done by a professional in another state, and it was about half as good as my SSPF house report and cost at least five times more– with no plaque included.”

 

Tamie Ehinger, owner of 688 North Broadway, was similarly amazed by the amount of information she found in the House History we produced for her home.  A highlight, she said, “was seeing our own names at the bottom of a very long list of owners dating back to the late 1800′s. It put into perspective for us the importance of our job as its current caretakers.”

 

“The plaque is such a wonderful addition to the facade of our home,” she added. “Until we hung it in its proper place, our restoration work on the house really didn’t feel complete.”

 

Justin Hogan owner of 31 Warren Street built about 1871 says “I don’t live in one of the grand homes on Union Avenue, so I was surprised by the amount of interesting information there was about my home and to learn how it contributes to the history of Saratoga.

 

Since 2008, the Foundation’s most prolific researcher has been Joan Walter, who has produced nearly 100 house histories and is likely to be working on two or three at any given time. An attorney with a master’s degree in architecture, she has the ideal background for this kind of work.

 

There are two types of information that Joan and our other researchers search for when doing a house history: architectural facts, such as date of construction, name of architect or builder, construction materials, and physical changes over time, as well as historical facts, such as information about the original owner and other residents, or interesting events associated with the building or area. The cost is $300 for Foundation members and $325 for non-members. It is a real bargain, considering that a typical history takes 30 or more hours to complete.

 

The first step is a deed search dating back to the 1800s. More often than not, that will lead to the names of Gideon Putnam, John Clark, Henry Walton, Seymour Ainsworth, Reuben Hyde Walworth and other major land owners from the early to mid-1800s.

 

Knowing who owned the property does not necessarily tell you who lived there. To learn that information Joan consults City Directories, dating back to 1868, in the Saratoga Room at the Saratoga Springs Public Library where the staff is always helpful. Since the Directories did not include the names of wives until 1924 and did not include the names of children or other relatives, she consults U.S. and New York State census records from 1855 through 1920, cemetery records for birth and death dates, and obituaries for additional biographical information. Joan also consults with the City Historian, Mary Ann Fitzgerald, and reviews relevant tax records and early maps of Saratoga Springs, which are especially helpful for determining the date of construction.

 

Each House History contains attachments including the deed chain, details of maps of Saratoga Springs showing the house and land, excerpts from the City Directories, and other relevant information.

 

“I just enjoy finding out about these houses,” says Joan Walter. “Whether it is a small cottage on White Street or a grand mansion on North Broadway, each one is a detective story and each one is unique.”

 

If you are interested in learning more about your house, you can order a House History and plaque online at www.saratogapreservation.org or call (518) 587-5030.  A $125 deposit is required for the written house history with the remaining balance is due prior to ordering the bronze plaque.

 

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

 

Posted in Advocacy, Education, Preservation in Action | Leave a comment

Preservation Matters! 649 North Broadway

By saratogapreservation | Published: February 4, 2013

Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation

Preservation Matters

Samantha Bosshart, Executive Director

November 9, 2012

A Look at the History of 649 Broadway

Saratoga Springs’s history, in many ways is preserved by its thousands of property owners. Many people within the city own homes built before the turn of the 20th century, making the city’s homeowners some of the best stewards of our community’s past.  Often times, homeowners are curious about who built the home or lived in the house before them.

One such homeowner is Judy Harrigan, a recently returned Saratoga area native who currently lives at 649 North Broadway. Harrigan says she was first drawn to the house, both inside and out, for its quiet graciousness and understated beauty.  For her, the building’s tall windows provided attractive amounts of light at all times of day, which was at the top of her “must have” list while house hunting.This provided difficult in Saratoga Springs amongst the sea of grand Victorians, where she felt often the rooms were too dark.

The two-story brick Italianate on North Broadway perfectly fits the bill. The home’s interior provides an excellent place to showcase a blend of the old and new. Her home features modern Italian lamps and furniture as well as carousel horses and antiques. Harrigan has always been drawn to interesting architecture from all periods, having lived in Manhattan pre-World War brownstones as well as contemporary ocean homes. In addition to the building itself, Harrigan is attracted to the home’s story and is fascinated with its former residents, particularly the women who lived there.

The home was constructed for Lewis P. Close around 1856 on land he purchased from Benjamin F. Allen, whose property is featured in an engraving titled “View of Land Belonging to B.F. Allen on Broadway, Saratoga Springs.” Mr. Close, a merchant who was born in New York, purchased the lot on Broadway for $2,000 in January of 1855, a significant sum at the time.  He was married to Eliza and had five children. Mr. Close was appointed Saratoga Springs Postmaster and later became a prominent business man in the City as co-owner of the grocery, Ellsworth and Close. Mr. Close’s story is somewhat tragic.  His youngest daughter dies in 1862 and was followed soon after with the death of his oldest son in the Civil War.  His wife Eliza dies not long after in 1871. Mr. Close died a year later in December of 1872, perhaps of a broken heart. The home passed to his oldest daughter Maria, who never lived in the home, but lived across the street. When she defaulted on the home’s mortgage, the house was acquired by the Orton J. Brown at auction.

Orton J. Brown, according to his obituary, was “one of the best known old-time hotel men in this section of the country.” Through his positions at the Grand Union and United States Hotels, he made many friends from around the world including Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Brown lived in the house with his first wife Sara and their three children.  He was married to Sara for 47 years until she passed away in 1902.  That same year at age 72 Brown married his second wife Allena Butler, who was 28 years his junior.  He continued to live in the home with Allena and her mother until his death in 1918.  Allena remained in the home alone until her death in 1944.

In 1945, the house was purchased by Florence Palmataire, who has an interesting personal history. Florence married her husband, Frank J. Hamilton Palmataire in New Jersey in June of 1904.  According to a Newark Evening News article she soon discovered that her husband was “so deeply enmeshed in the clutches of demon rum” that she had him placed in an institution to cure him, which he later escaped. Upon hoping he had conquered his demons, the couple planned to reunite, until his daily letters suddenly stopped. She learned years later that her husband had died from his illness in Cleveland, Ohio after escaping yet another curing institution, and had been buried under a different name. Mrs. Palamatiere left New Jersey to move to New York City and subsequently to Saratoga Springs. Upon her death in 1980, she left her entire estate to Mae Thompson, a nurse who is believed to have cared for her. Mae Thompson promptly sold the house after Mrs. Palmataire’s death.

Most recently, the home was owned by Meriel Jane Ashplant (known as Jane St. George) of Hamilton, Bermuda. Jane St. George was the granddaughter of Congresswoman Katherine St. George of Tuxedo Park, NY and her grandfather George F. Baker founded the First National City Bank. In 1993, Ms. St. George hosted the first Saratoga Designer Showhouse at her home to benefit the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The event was prominently featured in theNew York Times.

The connection to SPAC is of interest to the current owner Judy Harrigan, PhD, who grew up in the area attending the ballet and orchestra at SPAC. Harrigan is drawn to the story of Mrs. Palmataire and the other independent women who lived there.  She relishes her home’s history and architecture and feels a true sense of responsibility to care for the home and its past. It is homeowners like Judy Harrigan, who play a vital role in preserving our community’s past as we look to the future.

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

 

Posted in Advocacy, Education, Preservation in Action | Leave a comment

Preservation Matters! Candlelight House Tour

By saratogapreservation | Published: February 4, 2013

Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation

Preservation Matters

Samantha Bosshart, Executive Director

November 23, 2012

23rd Annual Candlelight House Tour

 

 

On Friday, December 7th the Saratoga Spring Preservation Foundation celebrates its 23rd Candlelight House Tour.  Offering an opportunity to tour festively decorated private homes, the Candlelight House Tour is a wonderful way to ring in the holiday season as well as highlight the city’s unique architecture and history.

 

This year’s tour features eight homes located in the Court Street and Marion Place area of the East Side Historic District that were built before and after the turn of the 20th century.  One home that is particularly interesting on this year’s tour is 20 Mitchell Place.  The large brick vernacular style building stands out from those around it because it was not originally built to be a home, but a stable.

 

The circa 1881 building was constructed for the boarding stable business of Commodore P. Mitchell, who built and lived at the house located at 231 Nelson Avenue.  After Commodore Mitchell’s death, the building for a number of years housed a hotel livery service and later is speculated to have been used for the Stanton Brewery.

 

In 1920, Sherman D. Nichols purchased the property and his son Gerald converted the building into an automobile repair garage initially associated with the Nichols and Lohnes Automobile Sales located at 45 Lake Avenue.  After Nichols and Lohnes dissolved, Gerald continued to operate the garage.  After World War II his son, Robert Nichols, joined the business.  It remained a service garage until 1990.  Since that time the building had several owners who made changes allowing it to be used as a residence.

 

In 2011, local designer Lisa Bates purchased the building and saw its potential. She transformed the interior to an open floor plan featuring a creative blend of modern and historic elements.  Lisa incorporated salvaged materials such as reclaimed maple hardwood floors, barn doors, and windows into the three bedroom home.  When asked what she enjoys most about her work, Lisa states “it is the excitement of reinventing a house and bringing it back to life.”

 

Another home featured on the tour is 85 Court Street.  The American Four Square featuring Craftsman style details was constructed in 1922. The first resident of the house was Moe Green, the proprietor of the Bell Clothing Company located at 430 Broadway.  The home was later owned by William Lodewick, an agent with Met Life Insurance, and his wife Charlotte.  Starting in 1944, Charlotte lived in the house alone and rented rooms to others.  In 1956, the house was purchased by former City of Saratoga Springs Mayor Ellsworth Jones and was home to the Jones family until 1979.

 

In 1995, Susan Sharp and John Koella rented the house from Rodney and Susan McKee who had purchased the house in 1979.  Susan and John purchased the house in 1998 following the death of Rodney McKee.  When asked why she and John purchased the house, Susan said “I just fell immediately in love with the interior woodwork of the house and thought it was an ideal neighborhood to raise our two children, Emily and Ryan.”

 

The house has been a labor of love for 18 years and Susan is proud of the work she and her husband have done and is thrilled to have the opportunity to open her home for others to see.  Susan painstakingly restored the woodwork by removing layers of paint and taken the time to find matching doors and hardware at Historic Albany Foundation’s Architectural Parts Warehouse.

 

I hope you will join us on this year’s Candlelight House Tour to kick-off your holiday season.  The funds raised at this event support the Foundation’s ongoing educational programs and efforts to preserve the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

 

The Candlelight House Tour begins at 5pm and will continue until 9pm. While touring the homes, join in the Peppermint Pig Hunt by spotting the candy pig in each home and be entered to win a gift basket from Saratoga Sweets. While strolling through the neighborhood, enjoy the songs of holiday carolers, “The Mistletones,” from Skidmore College.

 

The tour will be followed by an After-Party at Union Gables Bed & Breakfast, beginning at 7:30pm and ending at 10pm. The After-Party will feature a silent auction, delicious food, holiday music, and a cash bar. This year’s auction is packed with great holiday gift ideas including, handmade original jewelry, holiday wreaths, centerpieces, artisan ornaments, box seats at the Saratoga Race Course, a cigar tasting, and an original work of art by artist Corey Pitkin. In addition the after party, many of the beautifully decorated guest-rooms at the Union Gables Bed & Breakfast will be open for viewing.

 

Tickets for the Tour are $40 for members and $50 non-members. Tickets for the Tour and After-Party are $75 members and $85 non-members. Those who want to attend the After-Party are encouraged to purchase their tickets by December 3rd since space is limited.  For more information or to purchase tickets call (518) 587-5030 or visit our website www.saratogapreservation.org.  Tickets for the tour can be purchased the night of the event at 112 Spring Street, the former Public School No. 4, starting at 5:00p.m.

 

 

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

 

Posted in Advocacy, Preservation in Action | Comments closed

Preservation Matters! Piping Rock Annual Meeting

By saratogapreservation | Published: February 4, 2013

Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation

Preservation Matters

Samantha Bosshart, Executive Director
January 4, 2013

Saratoga’s Casinos Spotlighted at Preservation Foundation Annual Meeting

Everyone loves the Canfield Casino.  And, most everyone knows its celebrated history as  “The Club House” built in 1870 by John Morrissey, subsequently acquired and upgraded by Richard Canfield, and closed by the authorities in 1907 in response to the nation-wide anti-gambling sentiment.  Today, it is one of Saratoga Springs’ greatest landmarks.

 

But what about Saratoga’s other casinos – the ones that operated on or near Saratoga Lake as mafia-controlled night clubs from the 1920s through the early 1950s? With names like Piping Rock, Arrowhead, Riley’s, Meadow Brook and Newman’s, these “lake houses,” as they came to be known, catered to the rich and famous, just as the Canfield Casino did.  Unfortunately, no lake house buildings remain to remind of us that fascinating chapter in Saratoga’s history.   However, there are people like local author Joseph Cutshall-King who remembers this history. He chose to do further research and write The Burning of Piping Rock, a historical mystery novel substantially rooted in fact, in order for others to remember this part of Saratoga’s history.

 

This Tuesday, January 8, at the Annual Meeting of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, the author will discuss the history that went into the writing of his novel, including the history and architecture of these lost gambling establishments. His lecture at the Dee Sarno Theater at the Saratoga Arts Center is free and open to the public.

 

The Burning of the Piping Rock is built on a foundation of historical events.  The Piping Rock was a mafia-controlled nightclub and casino located at the northwest corner of Union Avenue and Gilbert Road, now where the Piping Rock Circle development is today. It was shut down in wake of the famous United States Senate Kefauver Commission hearings on organized crime.

 

The Piping Rock burned to the ground on the night of August 16, 1954, the same day Alfred Vanderbilt’s Native Dancer defeated First Glance, another Vanderbilt horse, by nine lengths at the Saratoga Race Course just a mile or so away. The casino, seized for back taxes and later sold, was uninsured at the time of the arson.

 

Cutshall-King’s father, a pharmacist in Fort Edward, told his 12-year-old son in 1959 that he had sold scotch tape and cellophane wrapping paper to a mafia member nicknamed “Harry the Torch” which he used to set the fire to the Piping Rock. Those items were used, his father explained, because being made of cellulose fiber they had the same basic composition as wood and so would never be detected.

 

Forty years later, Cutshall-King’s memory of that conversation would provide the basis of his novel. “Why would an arsonist drive all the way up to Fort Edward to buy scotch tape and cellophane wrapping paper from my father?  And why was the arsonist burning a defunct casino that hadn’t been open since 1951? What was in that defunct casino that would make someone want to destroy it?” Cutshall-King wondered. “So, there it was!  I had a mystery on my hands:  Why was the Piping Rock burned in 1954?”

 

Thousands of words later, he “solved” the mystery – at least in literary form. He published the novel in 2011.

 

“I did a lot of research in addition to using family memories and documents,” Cutshall-King says. “I read biographies of mafia members Meyer Lansky, Joe Adonis, and Frank Costello, who owned the casino as a front for prominent socialites of Manhattan and Long Island’s Gold Coast.”

 

The U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver’s committee report on organized crime published in 1950 that severely crippled the mafia nationwide was a “goldmine,” Cutshall-King says. “Saratoga has its own chapter.”

 

In researching his novel, Cutshall-King made extensive use of the Saratoga Room at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, and he returned there to research the history and architecture not only of the Piping Rock but four other casinos of the era:  Arrowhead, Riley’s, Meadow Brook and Newman’s. He will share what he’s learned in his lecture Tuesday night.

 

I know very little about the gambling history of Saratoga’s and want to know more. I hope all who have this curiosity will join me Tuesday for what I’m sure will be an interesting journey into Saratoga’s storied past.

 

The Annual Meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. at the Dee Sarno Theater at the Saratoga Arts Center, 320 Broadway.  The Foundation will thank several outgoing board members for their commitment and service, elect new board members and officers, and share accomplishments of the past year. Reservations are encouraged.  Please contact Sara Boivin, Membership & Programs Director, by phone (518) 587-5030 or email sboivin@saratogapreservation.org.

Founded in 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that promotes preservation and enhancement of the architectural, cultural and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments closed
 
how to buy cialis online without a prescription