Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday, June 11 that the state Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 15 properties to the State and
National Registers of Historic Places, including a Staten Island family cemetery created for Gilded Age America’s richest man, the oldest existing Muslim
mosque in New York City, the Hudson Valley home of a Colonial-era Tory who fled to Canada after the American Revolution, and a Fire Island community
founded as a religious-affiliated resort more than a century ago.
“New York has a long and fascinating history, and these additions to the Historic Registers will help to recognize and celebrate what our State has to offer,”
Cuomo said. “These recommendations to the State and National Registers will also help to ensure resources are available as needed for these places and their
stories to be protected and preserved to inspire future generations.”
In Westchester County, the Child Welfare Association of Mamaroneck was one of two locations recommended. Opened in 1927, this health care clinic was part of a national movement to address children’s welfare needs as many women left the home to join in the war effort during World War I. Reflecting its history in public health, the Colonial Revival-style building is currently a community health center.
The other location in the county was the Fleischmann House, a Colonial Revival-style residence in Peekskill that was built in 1927. It was home to Gustav Fleischmann Jr., a top executive with the Fleischmann Yeast Company that had a massive manufacturing and distilling plant in Peekskill that employed
thousands of people before closing in 1977 after eight decades of operation there.
State and National Registers listing can assist owners in revitalizing properties, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services,
such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.
“The nominations reflect the State’s commitment to supporting the incredible range of history present across New York,” said Erik Kulleseid, commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. “Securing recognition for such places will help keep this history alive and vibrant.”
Since Cuomo took office in 2011, the state has approved use of rehabilitation commercial tax credits for more than 1,000 historic properties, driving more
than $12 billion in private investment. The State and National Registers are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects and sites significant in the history, architecture, archaeology and culture of New York State and the nation. There are more than 120,000 historic properties throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic districts. Property owners, municipalities and organizations from communities throughout the state sponsored the nominations.
Once recommendations are approved by the Commissioner, who serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer, the properties are listed on the New York
State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the
National Register. More information, with photos of the nominations, is available on the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website. (Submitted)
