Is it Better in the Dark?

Right now you are probably looking at a pretty bright, clear screen. Clean printing; an image or two; a headline and the paragraphs of content. There are pull down menus from your browser, each with a word or symbol. You might have a few additional windows open, with images peeking around the edges of this one.

If you turn away from your screen, chances are your environment is fairly well lit also. Overhead lights, desk lamp,nightstand, light from the flatscreen tv, from the streetlights outside, from the headlights of passing vehicles.
At this very moment, your eyes are bombarded with lots and lots of visual information. It's streaming in through your optical nerve, mainlining into your brain. It's all clamoring for your mental attention. There is no mystery or ambiguity in what you are seeing.It's all bright, well lit, and in your face.

Your brain is so busy processing the visual information, how can you have time to really consider what you are seeing?

Would you like to put a little mystery back into life?

Let's try a brief experiment.
After you read the next paragraph, close your eyes and think about what you've read. You can think about it for as long as you like, but try for 20-30 seconds.

Okay, here's the paragraph:

The dimming light shone through the old window, barely illuminating the glass tumblers on the small maple table. Behind the table, the entrance to the tap room had a chalk calendar written above the door: the white chalk marks glowed in the
twilight. No light came from the massive fireplace opening, as the summer heat provided enough warmth. On the long dining table, plates stacked with pancakes, a meat pie and a small wheel of cheese waited for supper guests.

(you can close your eyes now...)

Are you back yet?

How was that for you? Did you manage to make it at least 20 seconds? It can be difficult to do that. I don't know about you, but I'm addicted to visual information. Right now I have 6 windows open on my computer, and I like it that way.

But I do find it refreshing to take a break from the visual overload.

About now you are probably wondering "Why is she writing about this in a Landmark Society blog?" We work in a visual medium - the architectural heritage of our community. We work to help people enjoy the visual medium, but also to "read" the historic stories the architecture embodies in its visual content. That takes practice and focus, to "weed out" the visual distractions.

Fortunately, practicing those visual skills can be lots of fun - especially when it involves popcorn and marshmallows.

On the evenings of July 27 (and again August 24) you can come to the Stone-Tolan House Museum to experience the site in a lesser light.

"Full Moon Flashlight Tours" will feature tours in the oldest remaining house and tavern in Monroe County, some lawn game activities, and then a gathering around the campfire for complimentary popcorn, and sharing of games and stories. You may also purchase a s'mores kit for that ultimate retro campfire experience. Bring your own folding chair, or sit on the ground or our wooden benches. .More details are here .

You'll enjoy the chance to "rest" yourself from the visual bombardment of modern life, slow down, and really see what is in front of you.

And who knows what you will discover? Nothing makes the past seem more real than the lengthening shadows in a dimly lit 200 year old tavern room.

posted by Cindy Boyer, Director of Museums and Education

More than a surprise visual treat…

LSWNY’s summer day tour to FLW’s legacy in Buffalo


Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get! This is one of my favorite quotes and recently I got my almond chocolate, my favorite kind at Wright’s Fontana Boat house. Almost two weeks ago, I was a part of FLW’s legacy tour in Buffalo with a group of 40 people. We were supposed to make a short photo stop at this Boathouse, but to our surprise we were able to get an inside- out tour of this place. It was one of those lucky days!

It’s hard to express how this building was and how much more I am a fan of FLW. I would like to say that I am not only his fan but also an air- conditioner (Please it’s a joke, Don’t take it seriously and think what an immigrant would know of the nuances of English language). A building, which was conceived over 100 years ago in 1905, is still applicable in today’s context. It’s hard to imagine how much forward looking he was, to design a building, which is timeless and is still integrated in this millennium. FLW considered this building to be one of his best designs, which he originally designed for University of Wisconsin’s rowing club. Almost after 95 years later, the rights of FLW’s design were bought and now this boathouse is home to West Side Rowing Club. To get more details you can visit http://www.wrightsboathouse.org/
This boathouse sat like a jewel on the river with its long free flowing cantilevered slab roof, leaded glass ribbon windows (FLW’s trade mark) and straight lines. The interiors too were also very typical of Wright with wooden floors, intricate details and geometrically designed light fixtures. What a treat this surprise stop was!

The other stops on the tour included Darwin Martin complex, Roycroft inn in East Aurora and Graycliff. I am unstoppable when I start writing about Wright, but I was a part of this tour last year as well, so if you are interested to learn more about these places, you can see my thoughts in our blog archives of June 2009.
Overall it was a great tour and on behalf of Landmark Society, I would like to thank all or tourgoers! We look forward to having you on some more of our tours. To learn more about our tours, you can visit www.landmarksociety.org.

Posted by Nimisha Thakur, ex- preservation associate

All Good Things...

Is it really true, that "All good things must come to an end?"

You might think that being in the historic preservation field means that we want all good things - especially architectural and historic good things - to last forever.

Perhaps you wonder how an organization that supports "preservation" would be closing one of its finest architectural structures.

On July 1, 2010, the Campbell-Whittlesey House will cease operations as a museum. A month after that, it's anticipated that the property will be placed on the market.

Campbell-Whittlesey was the impetus for the start of The Landmark Society. It was purchased in 1937 by Helen Ellwanger to save it from destruction. Miss Ellwanger and others formed "The Society for the Preservation of Landmarks in Western New York

How can we sell what so many have put their hearts and souls and pocketbooks into? Are we betraying the trust of the past 73 years?

I don't think we are.

Their goal was to see an architecturally significant structure saved from demolition. At that time, the accepted procedure was to make such a structure into a house museum. But even at the start, their intention to form a historic preservation group, not a museum organization, was clear. They didn't name the group "The C-W House" - the used the term "Landmarks" - plural.

But what about over 60 years of operation as a museum?

Yes - that is a good thing that is coming to an end. There is some sadness attached to this for many of us - myself included.

Why wouldn't there be? It's only natural when a good thing comes to an end. When a vacation is over. When a child leaves home. When a life well-lived ends. When the cherry blossoms fall.

The Japanese celebrate that moment of inevitable change by holding "hanami" - flower viewing parties under the cherry blossoms. They enjoy their beauty, but also acknowledge a belief called "mono no aware." Literally translated this means "sensitivity to things" - an awareness of the ephemeral nature of all things in life. The Japanese believe the cherry blossoms are more beautiful because they last such a very short time.

Of course - you must first recognize the beauty or goodness of something, if you are to celebrate with a gentle sadness its passing.

Please join us on Saturday, June 19th th celebrate the "good thing" of Campbell-Whittlesey serving as a museum for many generations; at 123 South Fitzhugh in historic Corn Hill. We'll be offering complimentary visits between 1 and 3 pm, refreshments, and a chance to share a memory about Campbell-Whittlesey to be saved in our archives. Click here for more details.

Yes - all good things must come to an end.

But it's what comes next that helps us face the changes in our lives.

The end of vacation leads to refreshed body and spirit. The child leaves home to become an adult member of society. The life well-lived leaves a legacy through family and friends. The blossoms yield to the cherries.

Campbell-Whittlesey will continue beyond its function as a museum, its architectural integrity protected by legal covenants. We don't know yet exactly what its new life will be - but our on-going watch will insure that it is cared for, so it may survive to be a part of our cityscape for many years - and generations - to come.

Posted by Director of Museums and Education Cindy Boyer

Better than 3-D: Taste History - Literally!

Take that, Avatar! Stand back, Clash of the Titans! We have something way better than 3-D!

Savor the flavors of the past at Tastings Through Time - this Friday night at the Stone-Tolan House Museum. You don't have to be content with merely seeing an adventure in 3-D. You can enjoy it in 5-S - all of your senses! See the historic house. Hear the stories of time past. Touch the smooth glass holding your wine. Smell the fragrant spices in the stuffed mushrooms. Taste the decadent chocolate and wine pairing.

On Friday night, June 4th, we'll be serving up "tastings" of delightful fare from across 200 years of Rochester's history. The decades of dishes reflect the decades of the houses on this year's House and Garden Tour (June 5& 6) from the earliest house in the county to a 1990's "landmark in the making."

I'm really looking forward to the Friday night event. As Director of Museums and Education, it's my professional duty to taste each and every dish, in the drive to understand more about our past.


I will have to investigate our earliest ancestor's tastebuds by trying the cheese chowder and crusty bread - perhaps accompanied by an historic ale from Custom BrewcCrafters. It's what original residents Orringh and Elizabeth Stone would want me to do.


While I am still studying the early 19th century, I'll try the "little cabbages" - the nickname for an 1836 creampuff. I understand they are far superior to what we consider a creampuff today.

As I continue my studies, I'll move into the refreshments from the mid to late 19th century. Mushrooms a la' Provencale awaits, as does potted cheese - a savory cheese spread. Of special interest will be the tiny pickled onions, from the 1881 cookbook "What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking" - the first cookbook by an African-American published in the U.S. I hear the onions are quite spicy - and addictive.

My research Friday night will not be limited to the 19th century. The early 20th century will be well represented, with an homage to the first cocktail party menus, with "russian sandwiches" - colorful hors'dourves with olives, butter and other savory ingredients, celery canapes and other nibbles of the 1920's and 30's.

Even though at this point I will have already worked my way through several decades, there is always room for - you guessed it. Jello. But not just any Jello - one of the favorite flavors of the past century: coffee Jello. Accented with a pouf of whipped cream of course. Just think of it as an espresso shooter.

I might be tempted to take a break at this point - perhaps visit the Stone-Tolan House Museum which will be open in the twilight's glow that evening.

After that refreshing visit, history - and the menu marches on! Try not to have too much pity for me, as I approach the delights of the 1950's. In a melding of sock hop days and today, burgers will be presented in "slider" size.



Accompanying the burgers - mini root beer floats, of course. Did I mention the root beer (like the ales) will come from Custom Brewcrafter's historic and delicious recipes?



Research is never really finished - and when you are studying the past, you must understand it in the context of today. I won't shirk my duty. I will visit the last decade of our delights - the contemporary tastes offered by Chocolate and Vines. Pairings of wine and cheese or wine and chocolate will educate our 21st century palates. I will probably have to try both.

All of these dishes - and more - will surely give a well-rounded understanding of the times and tastes of those who lived in our area over the past 200 years.

If you join me in this research undertaking - you'll also enjoy the scent of plants and flowers (available for purchase) courtesy of our friends at Allyn's Creek Garden Club and the hospitality of our hosts, Historic Brighton.

If that was not enough, your ticket to Tastings Through Time also includes a ticket to our annual House and Garden Tour, on Saturday and Sunday. A self guided tour, you may visit the homes in any order on either day. A good thing, because after all the fun on Friday night, you may wish to sleep in a bit on Saturday morning.

Visit here to get tickets for Friday evening - as well as a description of the houses on the weekend tour. The "Tastings Through Time" tickets must be purchased in advance!

I hope you'll join me at this tasty tribute to times past. It will be a lot of fun - and you won't have to duck any fake 3-D arrows.

A trio of chocolate delights!

Posted by Cindy Boyer, Director of Museums and Education

Architecture and Music - It's Personal

Architecture is Frozen Music...

Perhaps you've heard about that quote, from late 18th century writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe elaborated, by suggesting that architecture produces the same "tone" or effect in your mind as music.

But what about the reverse? If architecture is frozen music, does that mean music is liquid architecture? Are there connections between architecture and music - or more specifically, historic preservation?

Folks at The National Trust for Historic Preservation have given this some thought. Their forum list discussion resulted in contributors building a playlist of songs that refer to the designed environment. Called "Songs of the Preservationist,"
it's a fun read, and amazingly varied - everything from traditional songs (Little Old Sod Shanty on the claim or Stephen Foster's My Old Kentucky Home) to popular 20th century pieces (Rosemary Clooney's Come On - My House or The Beatles In My Life) to contemporary pieces (Vampire Weekend's Mansard Roof or rapper Eminem's "Beautiful.")

You can see the entire playlist here.


They've even put a video playlist on Youtube, where you can enjoy several of the songs and their videos (just be aware that there is a bit of "adult" language in some of the songs. Did I mention Eminem?)

The playlist on Youtube can be enjoyed here:

Goethe was certainly a deep thinker, comparing the effect of architecture to the effect of music on our minds - That it gives you a sense of the art, of what is greater or bigger than ourselves, what transcends our lives. While I appreciate that philosophical perspective, I prefer the way music - and architecture - connects intimately with the personal level in my life.

We've all experienced hearing a song from a past period in our lives - maybe when you were in college, when you were 10 years old, when you were first married - and felt that pull to your earlier time. For a moment it's as if the intervening years have disappeared.

Don't you think the physical environment of the architecture around us has the same effect?

This thought crossed my mind when I heard Miranda Lambert's new song, "The House That Built Me." It's a touching tribute to the memory and meaning of our childhood home. The singer visits the house where she grew up, hoping the new owners will let her in, as she promises to "take nothing but a memory." She hopes the visit will help her recapture her authentic sense of self.

Think about your childhood home. What can you recall about living in that home? Think about how it felt, as a kid, to live there. Remember the feeling of the banister - or the doorknob - or the way the windows opened?

In the historic preservation field, we get accustomed to thinking on a larger scale - the house's architecture, the streetscape, the preservation district, the city. It's enlightening to bring it back to a personal level - and what could be more personal than the spaces you inhabited as a child?

I didn't know that I was growing up in a classic American Foursquare house. I remember the feeling of perching at the top of the staircase when I was supposed to be in bed. I'd peer through the balusters of the handrail at the adults watching TV in the living room.

Those balusters were my "bird blind" - where I got to observe the adult world in secret (at least until the night I fell asleep and got caught.) Is it any wonder I grew up to be someone who liked the secret spaces and staircases of older homes?

I bet you know a bunch of people living in their childhood homes today. I mean the children you know! They are building their memories and future attitudes about the "frozen music" of architecture now. They know their own personal spaces. It's our job as adults to help them see the bigger picture. If the kids you know are in elementary school, check out our summer program "Arch-KID-Tecture" where they will have lots of fun getting a wider perspective. Just visit our website for all the details .

I'm grateful that singer Miranda Lambert's song helped me make this connection between my past and present experiences in architecture.

It's a good thing that her house was still standing.

Posted by Director of Museums and Education Cindy Boyer

How are you celebrating Earth Day?

This year is the 40th anniversary of Earth day on April 22. Have you decided what will you be doing to celebrate this memorable day. Are you going to Wegmans to grab your free reusable bag this Saturday or sewing your own bag with your kids? Planting more trees, recycling your garbage or using bio-degradable, natural cleaning supplies. Apparently all these activities seem to be such a natural way of spending your Earth Day.

Have you ever wondered how sustainable it is for our mother earth to re-use historic buildings. Save millions of kilowatts of energy by not dumping the landfill with bulldozed building wastes. This thought for some reason does not seem to be very natural, Isn't it! Trust me! Reusing a historic building is the most sustainable act for our planet earth.

This Saturday on April 24, we at Landmark Society are celebrating the earth day by organizing its 24th annual regional preservation conference. At this conference you will learn all that is to know about reusing a historic building-- enhancing main streets, how do you green your historic building, preservation case studies and strategies from your very own Wayne County, new historic tax credits and design review process.

You still have time to make your Earth Day special by attending our conference! A wonderful way to commemorate this day! We are still open for registrations! Hurry and make earth day a special day!

For more details on registration please visit
http://www.landmarksociety.org/section.html?id=1&uid=23&pageId=295

Image Source: www.earthday.org

Posted by Nimisha Thakur, preservation associate

What is really Sustainability???

Perceptions of Preservation


I was recently a part of Sustainability Symposium at Penn State University. It was a 3 hour long session where we had talks by the Director of Center of Sustainability at Penn, outstanding students who undertook sustainability efforts on campus and a question hour session. You can check them out at http://www.cfs.psu.edu/

We had long discussions about recycling paper, plastic, cans etc.. on campus, composting, using energy efficient devices, doing little things like switching off lights when going out of the building. It was an interesting session overall.

I was most appalled by the fact that in this long session, there was no mention of preservation at all. It was nowhere on their radar screens. This made me realize that how much work we have to do in this direction. When such significant issue is not a part of a leading research university's agenda, then how can we even take it to local public and create awareness about it.

This makes me ponder what can preservationists do to tell the world that adaptively reusing a historic building is the most sustainable effort. This is sustainability! Does anyone know that just a single family home with an area of 1500 sqft has around 1050000 MBTUs of embodied energy in it? To find more such facts go to http://www.thegreenestbuilding.org/

With our 24th Annual Regional Preservation Conference at Palmyra, we are trying to unravel the myths about sustainability. To tell you exactly how reusing an old building is most sustainable. To learn more about it visit us at http://www.landmarksociety.org/section.html?id=1&uid=23&pageId=295

We look forward to having you with us on April 24' 2010 in Palmyra. Do join us if you really want to know what is sustainability?

Image Source: www.ew.govt.nz

Posted by Nimisha Thakur, Preservation Associate

The glowing green eyes of history

Yesterday, an article "Something Strange in Herald Square" (linked below) was tweeted by someone I follow on my personal Twitter account. I found it very interesting. First, it tells a fun story, in an interesting visual manner, of something I bet many people walk past every day in New York City without noticing. It also made my nerd-self emit a little "squee!" as my imagination ran wild with images of glowy-eyed creatures observing NYC from above. (Apparently I've watched Ghostbusters a few too many times...)

Read the article: Something Strange in Herald Square


Photo: Scouting NY

I love not only that these owls exist (over a century old!) but also how they were re-purposed. (And, of course, my inner Fox Mulder adores the conspiracy theory portion of the article...) This story is a perfect example of how personal stories involving fantastical history can be found in the most unexpected places. It's quite likely that many of the buildings, bridges, parks and other items from our shared built environment have similar stories to share. I think it's also crucial to recognize how often we pass by things everyday that we take for granted.

As preservationists, we need to remember that these stories are oftentimes a common thread with which people can identify. Some who think they don't care about "old buildings" might be fascinated by a company founder's story...or, in this case, they might just find glowy-eyed owls to be pretty cool. Each of these "ins" is a way to engage people in the important work we do.

Do you have a favorite oddball landmark where you live? Do you know its story? Share it with us. We'd love to hear (and see!)

p.s. If it weren't for Twitter, we'd miss out on some really cool stuff. Do you follow us? Please join us: @landmarksociety

posted by Laura Keeney Zavala, director of marketing

Legendary Lockport

Landmark Society's day tour

Working in the field of preservation makes it obvious that I am fascinated by history and historic architecture, but more than that I am fascinated by the feats of victory and vision our ancestors had. With limited resources and exceptional hard- work, they accomplished results that sometimes it is hard to imagine in today’s age of technological advancement. We have gotten so used to our I- phones and laptops that we can’t imagine how life was before this! I felt this way when I went on a Landmark Society’s day tour to Lockport, the home of the “Flight of Five” Erie Canal locks. It was a feast to see such an example of architectural and engineering finesse built in a time and age when canal boats were pulled by horses and mules on the towpath. There were no cranes and lifts to do any work.

We started our day with a wonderful cruise of the Canal. On this two hour long tour we were able to go under the upside down bridge, experience “Locking through” by watching the lowering and raising by 49’ on Locks 34 & 35, observe the barge repair Dry Dock and see a combination of past and present with Flight of Five right next to the two modern locks built in early 20^th century.

After this enjoyable cruise we had canal side lunch buffet in an 1840 renovated warehouse resembled to look like a 1800s canal town with its interesting art and architecture. From here we went on a tour of Niagara County Historical Society with a Victorian parlor, historic pantry and old toy room.

We also saw some other buildings on their premises. The most interesting being the Pioneer and transportation building. It was great education for me especially because I am an immigrant! There was an exhibit of Native American Iroquois and Tuscarora clan. I learnt that LaCrosse was invented by them. The second floor of the building was recreated as a Pioneer cabin with interesting artifacts like candle molds, a knitty-knotty and trundle beds.

Wait ! I am not done yet! After all this we had the funnest part of the day. I know funnest is not a word, but I felt like a kid when we went to the Erie Canal Discovery Center. This is a new multi- media interactive museum which transports visitors back to the opening of the Erie Canal. So now, we are putting technology to some good use. Here you can meet with the characters involved in the building of Erie Canal. Our narrator was Nathan Roberts- Chief engineer for the canal. A simulated night excursion in a packet boat lets visitors explore how canals work. In addition to this, there are beautiful exhibits talking about the history and making of the canal. My most favorite part was a miniature model of the canal locks that helps explain the concept. I felt like a kid doing my science experiment, it brought back memories of my childhood and made me realize how we are touched by the past in so many different ways!

It was a tour filled with fun and education about our history and engineering. It is a perfect tour to take with your kids and spend a wonderful family time together. We would like to thank all the people who took the tour with us and we hope to see you again this year too! Don’t forget to check out our website for 2010 tours at

http://www.landmarksociety.org/events/events.html?CA=15&EID=538

We have lots of exciting and eventful locations planned for this year! Book your spot, they fill up soon......................

Posted by Nimisha Thakur, preservation associate

Are you looking for a house in the City? Don’t know where to start?

See what our past tour goers have to say about Rochester City Living Saturday tours…..

With spring in its splendor Landmark Society is offering you all these wonderful opportunities to enjoy the glorious sunshine and learn new things about your city that you live and breathe every single day of your life. This coming Saturday (March 20) Landmark Society in collaboration with City of Rochester is offering FREE bus tours of your city followed a City living expo on Sunday for two consecutive weeks.

This program is specifically focused on people who are interested in buying a house in the City. The bus tour begins at 2 pm on this Saturday and will leave from Landmark Society’s headquarters. It is approximately a 3 hour tour. This weekend’s tour will focus on east side neighborhoods. We will go through the curving streets of Cobbs Hill, stunning avenues of East Avenue, explore the funky architecture of Upper Monroe, Park Ave, Neighborhood of the Arts and lots more……

It is our promise, whether you are brand new to the City or have been living here for years; you will discover new things about your city that you never knew before. If you don’t believe us, see what our past tour goers have to say about the tour:

“On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it 100”—Carrie Peterson

“Our tour guide was fascinating! In all my life I have never come across a guide who is so passionate and knows everything”— Cathryn Callahan

“I have been living in the City for more than 30 years but never knew about so many places that we saw today” – Pamela Higginson

Now, the choice is yours! Make the most of this opportunity. For more details on the event, you can visit

http://www.landmarksociety.org/events/events.html?CA=16&EID=424

http://cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589941433

Posted by Nimisha Thakur, Preservation Associate