On Thursday, September 13, 2023, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation hosted their Annual Meeting of Membership & Board of Directors, including board of director and officer elections, and Preservation Recognition Award Ceremony at Music Hall at City Hall.
Foundation members, friends, and award winners gathered to hear about the Foundation’s accomplishments over the past year and to celebrate those who completed preservation projects. During the annual meeting, Executive Director Samantha Bosshart highlighted the progress of their rehabilitation project at 65 Phila Street; advocacy efforts, including seeking a Local Landmark Designation for the 1869 Henry Lawrence House at 182 Excelsior Avenue; and educational programs and tours.
The award ceremony kicked off with an Exterior Rehabilitation Award for Chestwood, 432 Grand Avenue. The award was given to Kristi Krulcik and Marco Anichini who have been rehabilitating the exterior of their home for the last three years, documenting the progress on Instagram. “We are not in a historic district, but it was really important to us to be as historically appropriate as possible,” said Kristi.
An additional five Exterior Rehabilitation Awards were given to both private homes and commercial buildings. Alison Harwood of 19 East Harrison Street was unable to attend the event, but her mother accepted the award on her behalf noting “It’s a work in process and Alison is very appreciative of the award.” Lysa and Rob Leiponis of 225 Caroline Street purchased their home five years ago and were excited to be able to make this their “dream home” with the help of Matt Hurff of Frost Hurff Architects. Emmy Katz, owner of 82 Court Street, accepted the award also on behalf of her husband Michael Katz, who could not attend, with their contractor Alex Kammler of Kammler Painting & Preservation. Tonya Yasenchak of Engineering America Co., who accepted the award for the work at 96 Union Avenue on behalf of Sharon Byrne, said “It’s wonderful to have a client do the right thing so we can all enjoy walking past this beautiful home for years to come.”
The oldest commercial building on Broadway, 351 Broadway, was also recognized for its exterior rehabilitation. Michael Ingersoll of The LA Group accepted on behalf of Michael Dubb and Larry Roth and said, “If you do ever get the chance to meet Michael Dubb and Larry Roth, please thank them for their investment in our community.”
Rebecca and Paul Trimble received an Exterior Rehabilitation & New Contextual Design Award for their project at 139 Grand Avenue. “I want to thank Samantha [Bosshart] so much. She spent a lot of time on the phone with me, including on the weekend, to give us guidance,” said Rebecca.
Skidmore College received a Landscape Initiative Award for the trees planted along North Broadway. “This is a project we have been working on for many years and I’m glad it came to fruition. This is a project that is meeting our [Skidmore College] sustainability goals. We are glad that it’s also helping the city as well,” said Dan Rodecker, Director of Facilities at Skidmore College.
Since porches are an integral part of Saratoga Springs’ architecture, the Foundation each year recognizes those who preserve them. This year, a Porch Initiative Award was given to Martin Hieronymi of 35 George Street and a Porch Restoration Award was given to Natalie and John Onderdonk of 157 East Avenue.
Many slate roofs in Saratoga Springs are reaching the end of their life cycle. Unfortunately, many building owners are choosing a less expensive composition shingle rather than slate, which has a longer life cycle. The Foundation is grateful that the Church of Saint Peter, 241 Broadway, made a significant investment to restore their slate and awarded the church a Roof Restoration Award.
Bethesda Episcopal Church, 26 Washington Street, rather than replace the existing asphalt shingle roof, a less expensive option, chose to restore it back to the original roof material, standing-seam metal. When Mark Claverie accepted the Roof Restoration Award on behalf of the church, he noted that the church also restored the slate of the belltower. Both projects were huge undertakings for the churches and their parishioners, helping to preserve these important landmarks of our city for future generations.
The Saratoga Backstretch Clinic at Saratoga Race Course received a New Contextual Design Award. John Hendrickson was unable to attend the awards in person, but asked Samantha to share a quote. “Marylou always had such great respect for the history and architecture throughout the City and around the Race Course. I know she would love that Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation is recognizing the structure built in her honor.” In addition, staff of the Saratoga Backstretch Clinic attended to accept the award. “This dynamic team [New York Racing Association, Frost Hurff Architects, and MLB Construction] took John Hendrickson’s vision from a mobile trailer, which we worked in for nearly 16 years, to a prestigious clinic, enabling us to continue to provide great medical care services to the backstretch workers who in turn take care of the track as a key part of Saratoga’s history, tradition, and culture,” said Debbie Zaloga, Clinical Coordinator of the Backstretch Clinic, operated by Saratoga Hospital.
Another New Contextual Design Award was given to Lisa and Tim Higgins at 24 Fifth Avenue for the addition that they made to their home that was in-keeping with its original style. The Higgins accepted the award along with Jim Sasko of Teakwood Builders and Brett Balzer of Balzer & Tuck Architecture. Lisa commented that she “loved the light” of the original decorative window that was incorporated into the final design, a recommendation of the Foundation.
Windows are a character-defining feature of a building. A Door & Window Restoration Award was given to Ann Marie Scheidegger and Brian Dillenbeck for their work at 39 York Avenue. The couple accepted the award and Ann Marie said, “I used to run by this home and wanted to live there someday. The connections that the Saratoga community made for us were really what enabled this work to happen. If you have the opportunity to do a window and door restoration it’s worth it, please do it.”
Another project that paid close attention to detail was the Stair & Door Restoration at 465 Broadway. The Adirondack Trust Company takes great pride in preserving their historic buildings, which is evident by the restoration. Charles Wait, Jr. was accompanied by John Munter of Munter Enterprises to accept the award. John shared that he and the Adirondack Trust Company “looked at different iterations of this project that came in at various price points and the Adirondack Trust Company chose to go with the most original method possible despite the increased cost.”
An Adaptive Reuse Award was given to Saratoga Joinery, 69 Caroline Street. Saratoga Joinery’s new Executive Director Tori Colarusso was joined by its founder, John Haller, to accept the award. The building was home to the Children’s Museum at Saratoga and now is a community woodworking space that will open to the public in the near future.
The Foundation thanks all the award winners and those in the community who invest their time and effort to preserve Saratoga Springs. In addition, the Foundation welcomed new board members Chris Armer, Jim Gold, Michelle Paquette-Deuel, and Roger Woody. The Foundation’s former board president, Adam Favro, was the only outgoing board member and Samantha Bosshart expressed her appreciation of Adam’s commitment to preserving Saratoga Springs and dedication to the Foundation. The Foundation also released their Annual Report, which can be found HERE.
