Rockland County Historic Preservation Award Winners Announced

The Historical Society of Rockland County (HSRC) is pleased to announce winners of the 28th annual Rockland County Executive’s Historic Preservation Merit Awards. These awards are presented in recognition of outstanding historic preservation efforts in Rockland County. The awards will be presented at a country supper on the grounds of the Historical Society’s historic Jacob Blauvelt Homestead in New City on Sunday, May 20, 2018. (May is National Preservation Month.) We thank our sponsor, Beckerle Lumber Remodeling Showrooms, for their support.

The 28th Annual Rockland County Executive’s Historic Preservation Merit Award Winners for 2018 are:

• Edward J. Lenik, archaeologist: Margaret B. and John R. Zehner Award for contributions to the county’s history, and for underscoring the value of historic preservation to the community.
• Marie Monteagudo: Preservation Leadership Award for individuals, groups, and government agencies that display outstanding leadership or continuing contribution to the preservation of historic resources in Rockland County.
• Linie and Joe Rand, owners, and Jan Degenshein, architect: Restoration Award for the D.D. Smith House, Nyack.
• Keizo and Haroko Tsukada, owners: Restoration Award for 639 Oak Tree Road, Palisades.
• The Cifuni Family, owners: Rehabilitation Award for the Demarest House, West Nyack.
• Paula Oland & William Arthur Young, owners: Rehabilitation Award for 61 Main Street, Tappan.

and Special Commendations for

• Joe Allen and Wylene Wood, documentary filmmaker/producer, for Two Schools in Hillburn.
• Ryan Slattery, Eagle Scout, for rehabilitation of the Bogert Cemetery, Pearl River.

All of the awards made by the Society in 2018 underline the positive effects of preservation on the community. For example, in one instance, the excellent restoration of a porch that had been previously lost to a fire (nearly 100 years ago) will significantly enhance the façade of an exquisite nineteenth-century structure in Nyack. In another, an Eagle Scout’s efforts to research and then rehabilitate a historic cemetery in Pearl River positively adds to the village’s rich history. Please join us in congratulating all of the award recipients. For information on attending the awards ceremony and country supper, which will be held on the grounds of the Jacob Blauvelt house on May 20, 2018, please visit www.RocklandHistory.org.

In addition to celebrating preservation achievements, the HSRC and the Preservation Merit Awards Committee will continue to work with members of the Rockland County Preservation Board and the County’s municipal historians to identify Rockland County’s most endangered places. This list will be shared at the Country Supper. “This effort to identify endangered places in Rockland, and to widely share information about them is critical,” said Clare Sheridan, committee chairperson. “Our hope is that by awarding preservation successes and highlighting critical preservation needs we can encourage strong, coordinated efforts to increase the chances of preserving historic places in our community.”

History of the Rockland County Executive’s Historic Preservation Merit Awards Program

Since 1991, the Historical Society of Rockland County has presented over 85 awards to public agencies, private individuals, community-based and religious organizations in recognition of their preservation efforts in the County. The Committee also supports continued, critical action to help save Rockland County’s environmentally sensitive areas and endangered architecture. Instituted to preserve the rich historical heritage of the County, the annual program celebrates each May with a declaration of “Rockland County Preservation Week” by the County Executive, a festive country supper and awards ceremony.

With a rapidly growing population of newcomers to the area, one challenge has been to help the public understand the value of preservation as well as being involved in their community. Addressing this challenge, the HSRC’s Preservation Awards program has:

• Awarded preservation efforts of individuals and groups
• Increased awareness of our historic resources
• Helped local communities to recapture history and pride of place
• Advocated for the purchase of endangered sites for the public good
• Attempted to unite all five townships in the support of historic preservation

The awards, made by the Society for preservation efforts on homes, businesses, municipal locations, and structures both modest and grand, help to get out the word that it is in everyone’s interest to restore and retain the richness of the past. The process is self-fulfilling, and it helps to unify and inspire a community.

For more information on the awards process, or to find out how to attend the Country Supper, visit www.RocklandHistory.org or contact the Historical Society of Rockland County at 845-634-9629 or info@rocklandhistory.org.