Heritage Program Celebrates New Rochelle’s History
Six distinctive historic properties received the City’s first annual heritage awards in a ceremony at City Hall in June. Each site was selected from a pool of applicants by a panel of judges with expertise in historic preservation.
The winning properties were:
- the Israel Seacord House and the Leonard Seacord House, both sites of Seacord Family homesteads and farms, circa 1700’s;
- the Mayflower Hill House, circa 1911;
- St. John’s Wilmot Church, 1859;
- the New Rochelle Rowing Club, est. 1880; and
- Jefferson Elementary School, 1932.
The Heritage Awards celebrate distinctive properties that reflect New Rochelle’s rich architectural history. I thank the Heritage Task Force and the distinguished panel of judges for their hard work, and I congratulate each of the winners on their commitment to historic preservation.
The City is now seeking nominations for next year’s Heritage Awards. Nominations may be submitted by individuals, organizations, or businesses for properties fitting one or more of the following categories:
- Residences older than 50 years that are significant to New Rochelle’s history
- Public or quasi-public structures (e.g. house of worship, home of an organization, etc. ) older than 50 years that are significant to New Rochelle’s history
- Stellar restoration, residence
- Stellar restoration, adaptive reuse
- Home of nationally prominent individual
- Significant architect or architectural style
- Landscape or landscape feature (e.g. cemeteries, stone walls, signs; excepting gardens)
Guidelines and nomination forms are available on the City’s website www.newrochelleny.com or at my office in City Hall. The deadline for nominations is September 19, 2008. Judging and validation will take place in the fall, with the award winners announced in January 2009 and Heritage Awards installed in Spring 2009.