Historic preservation in New York is activity undertaken to conserve forests, buildings, ships, sacred burial grounds, water purity and other objects of cultural importance in New York in ways that allow them to communicate meaningfully about past practices, events, and people.
Governmental programs for historic preservation range from Federal ownership and active operation of sites (such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York Harbor) to grants and subsidies provided by state government, municipal support of museums and interpretative displays (such as roadside plaques and town-history websites). Nonprofit programs include activities of statewide and local historical associations and museums, and activities of historical societies and museums at the national level. Quasi-governmental organizations, such as the New York State Thruway Authority and Thousand Islands Bridge Authority (which have historic sites on their property), play a role as well. Private endeavors, such as investment and other choices made by private landowners to conserve historical features of their properties, are significant but less visible and include groups such as the Historic Districts Council, The New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Preservation League of New York State.
Federal programs Federal programs include National Park Service areas, the National Register of Historic Places (including its tax subsidies) and the National Historic Landmark program.
National Park Service areas New York has no National Parks, but there are 20 other National Park Service areas that primarily protect historical sites. These provide the highest degree of conservation provided by the Federal government.
There are five National Monuments: African Burial Ground National Monument, declared February 27, 2006, (also a National Historic Landmark) Castle Clinton National Monument, declared August 12, 1946 (also an NHL) Fort Stanwix National Monument, declared August 21, 1935 (also an NHL) Governors Island National Monument, declared January 19, 2001 (also an NHL) Statue of Liberty National Monument, declared October 15, 1924 (shared with New Jersey)
There are two National Historical Parks: Saratoga National Historical Park Women's Rights National Historical Park
There are eight National Historic Sites: Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
There are three National Memorials: Federal Hall National Memorial General Grant National Memorial Hamilton Grange National Memorial (also an NHL)
There are also two National Historic Site "associated areas", which receive National Park Service support but are not administered by the NPS: Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site (also an NHL) Thomas Cole National Historic Site (also an NHL)
National Historic Landmarks
The National Historic Landmark program has designated 257 landmarks in New York, which is more than 10% of all NHLs in the United States. Seven of these are also National Park Service areas.
Registered Historic Places
There are over 5,000 properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in New York. These include all of the historic NPS areas listed above, and all of the NHLs.
State programs New York State programs include State Historic Sites and state-listed historic sites.
State Historic Sites
There are 38 State Historic Sites; 23 of these are also NHLs. All the NHLs (and some of the others) are also NRHP-listed. The state historic sites are:
Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site (Bennington Battlefield NHL) Caumsett State Historic Park Clermont State Historic Site (Clermont Manor NHL) Clinton House State Historic Site Crailo State Historic Site (Fort Crailo NHL) Crown Point State Historic Site (Fort Crown Point NHL and Fort Frederic NHL) Darwin Martin House State Historic Site (Darwin D. Martin House NHL) Fort Montgomery State Historic Site (Fort Montgomery NHL) Fort Ontario State Historic Site Ganondagan State Historic Site (Boughton Hill NHL) Grant Cottage State Historic Site Herkimer Home State Historic Site Hyde Hall State Historic (Hyde Hall NHL) Jay Heritage Center John Brown Farm State Historic Site (John Brown Farm and Gravesite NHL) John Burroughs Memorial State Historic Site (Woodchuck Lodge NHL) John Jay State Historic Site (John Jay House NHL) Johnson Hall State Historic Site (Johnson Hall NHL) Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site (Knox Headquarters NHL)
Lorenzo State Historic Site New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site Olana State Historic Site (Frederic Church House NHL) Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park (Old Croton Aqueduct NHL) Old Erie Canal State Historic Park Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site (Fort Niagara NHL) Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site (Oriskany Battlefield NHL) Philipse Manor State Historic Site (Philipse Manor NHL) Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park -- Coe Hall Historic House Museum Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site (Erie Canal NHL) Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site (Schuyler Mansion NHL) Senate House State Historic Site Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park Staatsburgh State Historic Site Steuben Memorial State Historic Site Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site (Stony Point Battlefield NHL) Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site (Washington's Headquarters NHL)
State-listed historic sites The state Department of Historic Preservation – within the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation—Historical Preservation (NYSOPRHP) – is heavily involved in evaluating candidates for NRHP listings. Sites are given a state listing first, and some are then nominated for a Federal listing; thus, sites may receive a state but not a Federal listing. Owners of sites may opt out of a Federal listing, but may not be able to opt out of state listing.
New York City programs The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission was founded (after the demolition of the original Penn Station building) to identify and preserve landmarks in New York City.
Quasi-governmental organizations The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired Boldt Castle on Heart Island and its nearby yacht house for one dollar in 1977, under an agreement that all revenue obtained would be used to preserve the castle. The George C. Boldt Yacht House is on the National Register of Historic Places. The New York State Thruway Authority subsidizes the preservation of the New York State Barge Canal."Revenue-draining canal should be cut from Thruway". Utica (New York) Observer-Dispatch, January 9, 2008. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
Archeological investigations The African Burial Ground (the latest National Monument in New York) was discovered during construction activities in downtown New York City. Road-construction projects are required to have subcontractors who investigate sites for archeological importance (Indian remains, for example). Archeological sites are sometimes preserved in secrecy, although some are pilfered by amateur archeologists. It is National Park Service policy to conceal the location of sensitive archeological sites by withholding location information on NRHP documents (or withholding NRHP documents altogether from the public).
Historical societies
New York State Historical Association: Reported assets of $53.237 million on June 30, 2005, and took in revenues of $6.216 million in FY 2005 American Irish Historical Society: located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, opposite Metropolitan Museum of ArtAmerican Irish Historical Society Retrieved 2011-04-12. American Jewish Historical Society: 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society: Briarcliff Manor Public Library at 1 Library Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY Brooklyn Historical Society:Brooklyn Historical Society official website Retrieved 2011-04-12. Reported assets of $21.783 million on June 30, 2006, and took in revenues of $1.889 million in FY 2006 Broome County Historical Society: focus on industrial development Bronx County Historical Society: Reported assets of $1.187 million on June 30, 2006, and took in revenues of $655 thousand in FY 2006 Brunswick Historical Society: Town of Brunswick and Rensselaer County Buffalo History Museum: one of the oldest regional historical societies in the U.S.; its first president was U.S. President Millard Fillmore. Camillus Historical Society: located in an NRHP site, the Wilcox Octagon House Canal Society of New York StateCanal Society of New York State Retrieved 2011-04-13. Cayuga-Owasco Lakes Historical Society: founded in 1966 to preserve the history of the 12 towns south of Auburn Preservation Association of Central New YorkPreservation Association of Central New York Retrieved 2011-04-13. Clinton Historical Society: Town of Clinton (in Oneida County) and surrounding areaClinton Historical Society, Clinton, Oneida County Retrieved 2011-04-12. Cohocton Historical Society: Town of Cohocton (Steuben County) and vicinity Columbia County Historical Society: owns and operates three historic properties (open to the public during the summer season) and a museum (open year-round) Dewitt Historical Society of Tompkins County: collections from prehistory to present Franklin County Historical and Museum Society: Victorian furnishings, early craft exhibits, genealogy service Fort Brewerton Historical Society: French and Indian War site with reconstructed post-Revolutionary War blockhouse museum Geneva Historical Society: operates several historical houses, including Rose Hill and the Prouty-Chew House. Has of archives, 30,000 photographic images, furniture, decorative art, costumes, textiles, fine art, tools and equipment, and four historic properties Goshen Public Library and Historical Society: Elizabeth Sharts Historical and Genealogical Reference Room houses over 40,000 manuscripts and documents, newspapers, maps, books and pamphlets Greene County Historical Society: Catskills heritage, preservation of local historical structures and sites Greene County Mountain Top Historical Society: focus on "Mountain Top" portion of Catskills through art, literature, history, culture, folklore, legends and environment Herkimer County Historical SocietyHerkimer County Historical Society Retrieved 2011-04-13. Hispanic Society of America: Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American art and artifacts and rare-books and manuscripts-research libraries. Founded in 1904 by Archer Milton Huntington, the museum is free and open to the public in a Beaux Arts building on Audubon Terrace at 155th Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Historic Albany Foundation: focus on restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings; includes architectural-parts warehouse and online catalogue Historical Society For the Preservation of the Underground Railroad Huguenot Historical Society (New Paltz): owns and operates National Historic Landmark District, Huguenot Street, a collection of house museums with construction dates ranging from 1690 to 1894 Huntington Historical Society: maintains three National Register historic properties (as two house museums), resource center and archive Italian Historical Society of America (Brooklyn): preserves biographical and other material relating to people of Italian lineage, publishes documents and reports, maintains cultural center, administers scholarships and fellowships Irvington Historical Society: 131 Main Street, Irvington, NY Jordan Historical Society: operates Jordan Canal Museum