Preservation League of New York State

10/08/2026

The rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Seneca Knitting Mill into the National Women's Hall of Fame is truly an excellent example of how preservation can help revitalize communities. Congrats to the NWHoF and the architectural team at CJS Architects!

The National Women’s Hall of Fame is honored to receive a 2026 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of New York State, recognizing the restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic Seneca Knitting Mill.

This recognition reflects nearly two decades of work to preserve the 1844 Mill and transform it into the Hall’s permanent home, creating a space where women’s history can be shared for generations to come.

We’re especially grateful to CJS Architects, whose leadership, expertise and partnership have been integral to bringing this vision to life, as well as the many partners who contributed to this remarkable project.

10/07/2026

“When we have the community behind us, we are as strong as we can be.”

We asked our 2026 Excellence Awardees about their greatest lessons learned. Here’s what a few of them had to say.

10/06/2026

Greetings from the oldest house in Albany! The Van Ostrande-Radcliffe House has been lovingly rehabilitated by our colleagues Historic Albany Foundation — an effort we were pleased to recognize with an Excellence Award this year. And now HAF is celebrating its official opening, the culmination of years of hard work. They will now have their offices here as well as the Architectural_Parts_Warehouse.

Be sure to visit next time you find yourself in Albany.

10/05/2026

Alden Witham of Contractor’s Millworks has received a 2026 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of NYS. Alden is the recipient of this year’s Preservation Trades Award, which honors individuals or teams that demonstrate exceptional skill, commitment, and creativity in traditional trades practices.

Alden Witham has operated Contractors’ Millworks in Sharon Springs, NY, for over 40 years, using authentic 19th century machinery which he began collecting in the 1970s. Commenting on Alden’s shop, Ronald Bunch, President of the Glen Conservancy said, “This isn’t just a museum of period machinery but a place where a window from the 19th century receives the specialized care in restoration from the kind of machine that originally understood and created it.”

Learn more about Alden and the rest of our 2026 Awardees at the link in our bio.

10/02/2026

“A really rich preservation project we have the opportunity to put the past and the present into dialogue with one another and thereby design a very intentional bridge to the future.” The restoration of the is one of our 2026 Excellence in Historic Preservation Awardees. Hear a little about the project from Waldorf Astoria New York’s Managing Director Luigi Romaniello and project architect Frank Mahan .

09/30/2026

TRANSART & Cultural Service Receives Statewide Recognition
from the Preservation League of NYS for the Rehabilitation of 107
Henry Street

TRANSART & Cultural Service has received a 2026 Excellence in Historic
Preservation Award from the Preservation League of NYS.
This award recognizes the rehabilitation of the Burger-Matthews House at 107 Henry Street in Midtown Kingston. Since 1984, the League's annual Excellence Awards program has shined a light on the people who make positive change through preservation — including exemplary restoration projects, indispensable publications, individual action, and organizational distinction. This year’s Award winners will be recognized at a public reception in NYC on Monday, September 28. Event details can be found on the Preservation League NYS website.

See the interview: https://next.frame.io/share/acfbe0b6-7388-4a3a-8edf-494fb7a9c1a8/view/774bfe6d-c203-4efb-90a4-819b978abb8e

Preservation League of NYS TRANSART Spotlight: https://www.preservenys.org/blog/excellence-award-spotlight-transart

09/27/2026

The Preservation League of NYS’s annual Excellence Awards program allows us to shine a light on the people who are using historic preservation to make all of our lives better — through exemplary restoration projects, indispensable publications, individual action, and organizational distinction.

Here’s a sneak peek of our 2026 awardees before our in-person celebration on Monday, September 28.

09/25/2026

We asked out 2026 Awardees what advice they would give to someone just getting started in the preservation field. Here’s what they had to say.

Featuring:
Executive Director Amy Catania
Founder/CEO Greer Smith
Managing Director Luigi Romaniello
Craig Jensen of
Executive Director Danielle La Cavalla
Director of Preservation Services Cara Macri
Director of Operations Julie Bazan
Home Leasing CEO Megan Houppert
Alden Witham of Contractor’s Millworks
Waldorf Astoria project architect .frank director.life Pam Howard
Paul Lang from
founder Shawné Lee
Architect Alan Baer

09/23/2026

There’s no better way to end a day in the Hudson Valley than at Olana.

As part of our Excelsior Society tour October 24-25, members will enjoy a special evening exploring Olana, the visionary home, studio, and artist-designed landscape of Frederic Church. Perched high above the Hudson River, this extraordinary National Historic Landmark offers breathtaking views and an unforgettable glimpse into one of America’s most iconic cultural landscapes. As an added bonus we’ll also hear from author Victoria Johnson about her recent book Glorious Country: How the Artist Frederic Church Brought the World to America and America to the World. We only have a few spots remaining — link in bio.

It’s a fitting finale to a day spent discovering the people and places that continue to shape the story of preservation in New York. Frederic Church’s Olana

09/17/2026

The League is in Medina this week for the 2026 International Preservation Trades Workshop — three days of hands-on learning, live demonstrations, and connection with craftspeople from across the country. We’ll be there talking Historic Preservation 101 and giving attendees a look at a recently completed report detailing economic impacts of preservation trades in New York State. That report was completed by Jenni Minner and a team from Cornell AAP, made possible with the generous support of the Richard Hampton Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation.

Medina, NY, is one of the most distinctive masonry landscapes in the United States, surrounded by historic cobblestone buildings and a deep tradition of skilled craftsmanship. Hosted by our friends at Talis Historic Restoration, attendees will also get to experience their one-of-a-kind workshop. In the word’s of the workshop organizers Preservation Trades Network, “... this setting matters. You’re not just learning techniques, you’re immersed in a place where the materials, the history, and the trades are all deeply connected. It’s a rare opportunity to experience preservation work in a landscape built by hand and shaped by one of the country’s most important historic corridors.”