ALBANY, NY – May 5, 2008 – The Preservation League of New York State has selected Proctors in Schenectady to receive its prestigious Excellence in Historic Preservation Award. This statewide awards program recognizes individuals and organizations for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to the preservation of New York State’s irreplaceable architectural heritage.
“The transformation of a vaudeville-era theatre in serious disrepair – with only one working light bulb – to the linchpin of a revitalized downtown is nothing short of exemplary,” said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. “The preservation of the historic theatre and arcade, as well as the adaptive reuse of the adjacent Carl Company department store has delivered a heightened sense of place and history, as well as state-of-the-art performance spaces.”
Contributing to the success of this effort were the property owner, Arts Center & Theatre of Schenectady, Inc., DBA Proctors; the owners representative, AKW Construction Consulting, Inc.; and the project architect, SRG Architects; all of Schenectady.
The famed theatre architect Thomas Lamb designed Schenectady’s Proctor’s Theatre. It opened in 1926, one of a chain of F.F. Proctor’s vaudeville houses. With its unique commercial mid-block arcade, it was a true “palace of the common man.”
“It would have been very easy for the citizens of Schenectady to walk away from this decaying and deteriorated theater,” said James Jamieson, A.I.A., Chairman of the Schenectady Historic District Commission and Capitol Architect for New York State. “Instead, armed with creative strategies for preservation, financing, and adaptive re-use, they transformed this National Register listed property into the engine of redevelopment in the struggling downtown, and the showplace of the Capital District of upstate New York.”
The award will be presented at the Preservation League’s Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony in New York City at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 15th at the historic Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue.
The complete list of award winners is: Webb Lofts in Buffalo, Erie County; MacNaughton House Stabilization in Newcomb, Essex County; U.S. Post Office & Courthouse, Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn, Kings County; Downtown Revitalization Program, Canajoharie, Montgomery County; Eldridge Street Synagogue, Lower East Side, New York County; Proctors, Schenectady, Schenectady County; Hotel Kirkland, Kingston, Ulster County; Model Development Block, New Rochelle, Westchester County. The Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors will be honored for organizational excellence, and Trude Brown Fitelson of Rochester will be honored for individual excellence. Preserving New York: Winning the Right to Protect a City’s Landmarks by Anthony C. Wood (Routledge, 2007) will also receive a special citation.
“Excellence in Preservation Awards are our principal means of honoring the preservation community and educating the public about the important contribution that historic preservation projects make to our quality of life throughout New York State,” said DiLorenzo. “Each year, we are impressed by the number and variety of laudable projects, and this year was no exception. We are delighted to give Proctors the statewide recognition it deserves.”
The Preservation League’s Excellence in Historic Preservation awards program is funded by a generous grant from the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation of Miami, Florida.
By leading a statewide preservation movement, sharing information and expertise and raising a unified voice, the Preservation League of New York State promotes historic preservation as a tool to revitalize our neighborhoods and communities, honor our heritage and enrich our lives.