Sacred Sites Receives a Special Citation Award
In recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Program, the Landmark Society of Western New York honored the program at the Society’s Annual Meeting on November 20th.
The Society cited the Conservancy’s $7.3 million in grant assistance to hundreds of religious institutions across the state, our publication Common Bond, and our helpful workshops on topics from energy conservation to fundraising.
The Society noted that dozens of congregations in the 9-county region surrounding Rochester have benefited from Conservancy grants and technical assistance over the last 25 years: 120 grants totaling $724,000 to 77 historic religious properties in the greater Rochester region. These grants have helped to fund restoration projects totaling $26 million. In particular, the Society noted that multiple Conservancy grants over several years, as well as focused challenge grants, have helped guide and fund comprehensive restoration projects at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Rochester, First Presbyterian Churches in Batavia and East Avon and Epworth Hall at Silver Lake Institute in Perry. The grants have also helped with emergency repairs and stabilization at the Church of God and Saints of Christ, the former Leopold Street Shul in Rochester.
The Landmark Society of Western NY also granted a Special Achievement Award to Rochester preservation architect John Bero, the consultant for many Conservancy grant projects over the last 25 years.
