Advocacy 2022

Because of the recent newspaper articles, Historic Albany Foundation would like to take this opportunity to clarify our mission, advocacy, and preservation efforts in the coming year(s). For the remainder of 2022 and 2023 (at least), we will be located at, and doing business as usual at, our location on Lexington Avenue.

After a successful year of good works in 2021, Historic Albany Foundation is looking forward to renewed and refined advocacy efforts for the new year. As an organization will be focusing on the following four mission-driven projects

1. The Van Ostrande-Radliff House (48 Hudson Avenue)
As you may have recently read in our announcement and in the press, HAF is the recipient of a $500,000 Environmental Protection Fund grant from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation through the Regional Development Council’s CFA process. This money will pay for the restoration of the roof and the exterior of the house, presenting it as the Dutch house it started out as in 1728.

In addition, HAF has announced that we will be making 48 Hudson Avenue our future home. It is our hope, within the next two years, to be able to utilize the entire building to include the HAF offices and Architectural Parts Warehouse, an expanded Tool Library, as well as programming, workshop and meeting space that could be shared with other community organizations. Securing this round of funding has made this goal much more tangible as we move ahead with additional fundraising.

The idea of moving our administration offices and the Warehouse is something that our organization has been considering for a few years. As we look toward our 50th anniversary in 2024, we are looking at ways to strengthen our mission, our outreach to the community and the neighborhoods that depend on our work, and to offer new, expanded, and different programming, all within our own building. And where better to do that than in the oldest surviving building in Albany, that we are restoring. As construction begins and progresses this year, we will keep everyone updated through our newsletters, website, and with onsite tours.

2. A Better Lexington Avenue
One of HAF’s main advocacy efforts is our own neighborhood: Lexington Avenue and the surrounding streets of West Hill.

HAF leadership has been working with the Albany Police Department, City of Albany Code Enforcement Department, the City of Albany’s Neighborhood Stabilization Coordinator, other stakeholders, and business owners to try to make our neighborhood a better and safer place to live, work, and visit. Over the next month, HAF and our neighboring constituents will be applying for a Love Your Block grant to help stabilize our neighborhood, with the help of various City of Albany Departments. Outreach efforts will start to take place now over the winter months, with code sweeps, cleanups, and neighborhood watch events happening throughout the spring and summer months. HAF is taking the lead on these efforts and looks forward to working with members of our immediate community to make a Better Lexington, and beyond for everyone.

3. Annual Restoration Faire
The Restoration Faire is an annual program hosted by Historic Albany to provide assistance to property owners looking to purchase and restore historic buildings in the City of Albany. Over the past several years, the event has hosted in-person and online programming including webinars, Q & As, and a dedicated Facebook group for networking.

The in-person programming includes lectures, demonstrations by seasoned contractors, clinics with expert speakers, and open houses in partnership with the Albany County Land Bank. The Faire traditionally focuses on all phases of rehabilitation beginning with planning and purchasing, design and permitting, stabilization if needed, construction and finishes, and the all-important component: funding. Previous programs on vacancy prevention assistance, permitting, funding, and neighborhood resources remain available and will be updated as offerings change. This program is an annual partnership between Historic Albany Foundation, the City of Albany, and the Albany County Land Bank.

4. The Tool Library
New this year! Historic Albany Foundation and its Architectural Parts Warehouse have been planning and fundraising to launch a Tool Library from our location at 89 Lexington Avenue this spring - thanks to grants from the County of Albany and Bloomberg, Inc., as well as private donors. The aim of this project is to help residents of the Capital Region by providing tools they may not be able to afford/have space for, provide basic safety training, and to conduct workshops to teach people DIY, tool safety, and preservation skills.

Who will Benefit From This?
> Low Income Families & First Time Buyers
For many low-income families and first-time homebuyers, creating an arsenal of tools is expensive, time-consuming, and confusing. The Tool Library will help ease the financial pressure, and democratize access to tools.
> The Environment
Tool lending libraries promote a sharing economy that has a major positive impact on the environment. Instead of tools being purchased for one use, tools are shared in the community, reused, and regularly maintained.
> Local Preservation
By empowering individuals through training, we want to put preservation back in the hands of the public.
> The Community
We want to foster a community-minded program where people can volunteer, learn from each other, interact, and share their experiences. We are looking forward to partnering with many organizations across the Capital Region to reach as many individuals as we can.

You may have noticed that much of this newsletter focuses on the nuts and bolts of preservation. Can we prevent a gaping hole on a block by stabilizing a building instead of tearing it down? Where is the potential for giving an old building new life? How can we give a new owner the tools (figuratively and literally!) to reveal the beauty and comfort in their home and perform routine maintenance? In 2022, we’ll work with our neighbors and community organizations to find ways for more people to enjoy old homes and for old buildings to breathe a new life. Albany’s buildings tell a lot of stories, many of them are just waiting for the next chapter to be written.

Happy New Year!

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