The 2007 AARCH Awards
On Friday, October 12, 2007, preservation enthusiasts from around the Adirondack Park gathered at The Lake George Club in Diamond Point to honor and celebrate the Twelfth Annual AARCH Awards.

Seven awardees, including a town government, community groups, and individuals shared their stories of challenge and success, passion and purpose with a lively and engaged group of advocates and supporters.

Willem and Marguerite Monster For the restoration of the Sacandaga Station Park

Built in 1922 by the Fonda Johnstown & Gloversville (FJ&G) railroad, the Sacandaga Station was the second railroad station in Sacandaga Park. The first was located a few hundred yards south, on the other side of McKinley Avenue. The station is one story in height with a shallow hipped roof with wide overhanging eaves. The exterior of the wood framed structure is surfaced with wood shingles and is punctuated with an assortment of doors and windows. The exterior retains parts of its original design and integrity. The octagonal bay that once was located at the south end of the building, has been removed, although the foundation footprint can still be seen on the platform.

Its use as a railroad station ended in 1930 with the flooding of the Sacandaga Valley, resulting in the alteration of its interior to accommodate the following various businesses: an ice cream vender, beauty parlor, antique store, an arcade, and a post office. At some point in the 1960s the overhang of the building on the east side and the pass-through on the far north were enclosed. After the post office closed in 1968, the building was heavily vandalized; and in 1972, the four interior walls were demolished and the two east-west passages blocked by new exterior walls. The east side of the building was then converted into five stables. A small apartment was created on the south side of the station for the groomer. In the 1980s, the station served as a warehouse.

By the spring of 2002 the building had been seriously neglected for a dozen years. Major repairs to the roof and structural supports, as well as restoration of the interior space to its original configuration were undertaken by Willem and Marguerite Monster.

On March 7, 2003 the Sacandaga Station was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Station is one of the few remaining FJ&G institutional transportation/resort buildings in Sacandaga Park.

Lauren Murphy For several exemplary restoration projects in Essex

Having received her graduate degree in historic preservation from the University of Vermont in 1985, Lauren Murphy has worked on several restoration projects throughout Essex since 1997.

Her projects have included the restoration of an 1828 brick Federal style farmhouse with a circa 1865 frame ell; the Richard Eggleston Tenant Farmhouse, an 1829 brick vernacular farmhouse with a circa 1865 frame ell; the ray Anson Farmhouse, an 1840 vernacular farmhouse and period barns; the Southard-Moynan Farmhouse, an 1833 brick Greek Revival farmhouse with a circa 1865 frame ell; and her most current project in Wadhams, a circa 1830 brick tavern and stone building with an attached circa 1835 wood frame building (moved across from the river in the late 1800s).

Major and Diane Bowes For long-term stewardship of Covewood Lodge, on Big Moose Lake

The vision of Covewood as a woodland retreat combining superb craftsmanship of native wood and stone with a harmonious and relaxing atmosphere inspired the late Earl Covey throughout his younger years. In 1924, after laying the foundations of Covewood, he was able to proceed and complete the building without a single blueprint. Plain brown wrapping paper sufficed for rough sketches of arches, bedrooms and closets.

Having spent his boyhood days since 1888 at Camp Crag on Crag Point halfway across Big Moose Lake, Earl Covey knew the woods intimately. There he searched for posts, beams, slabbing, and other lumber needed to build the main house. The graceful arch between the living room and foyer is a natural one found after months of combing the forest. No steaming or processing was used to shape it. At Covey's mill, then located by the Big Moose River outlet south of the bridge, the trees were cut and proportioned. Stones for the fireplaces, foundations, and road were obtained from the river's outlet. The symmetrical round stone in the foyer's mantel came from the Covewood Road at the top of the hill. Stone for the living room hearth, hauled from White Lake at the southern edge of the Adirondacks.

When Covey became unable to further care for Covewood Lodge, Miss Gladys Bourner took over, and in 1952 sold it to C.V. Major Bowes, Jr.

Minerva Historical Society For restoration of the Irishtown Schoolhouse in Olmstedville

Located in Olmstedville, in a section of town known as "Irishtown," the Irishtown schoolhouse was originally a log structure built in circa 1840 as a one-room schoolhouse. In 1860, the building was replaced with the current one-room structure, which was used as a part of School District No. 4 for many years. At least thirty different teachers were employed through District No. 4, although there was only one teacher at the Irishtown Schoolhouse in any given year. The Irishtown Schoolhouse is the only one-room schoolhouse in Minerva or Olmstedville that is not privately owned and used as a residence.

The Irishtown Schoolhouse was acquired, at some point, by Edward and Grace Bannon and used as a storage facility. During the late 1990s, the Grace Bannon Estate donated the property and building to the Minerva Historical Society to ensure its preservation and educational value for the community.

The Minerva Historical Society formed a committee for the restoration project and began fundraising. The committee consisted of the following individuals: Martha Galusha, chairwoman; Gerald Galusha, Norman Persons, and John Paradis. A three-year plan was set to complete the restoration; the project was funded entirely by donations from within the community and beyond, and much of the work, including excavation, siding and painting was done by volunteers. Today the Irishtown Schoolhouse is open annually on Minerva Day and on other special occasions throughout the year. It offers those who visit the chance to experience a one-room schoolhouse.

Town of Duane For long-term stewardship of the Duane Methodist-Episcopal Church

Incorporated January 10, 1861, ground breaking for the First Methodist Episcopal Church began in 1883; the church was completed by 1885. The people of Duane utilized the church until 1982, at which point the Head Church ordered it closed, due to dwindling membership and inadequate funds to maintain the church. The town of Duane rented the basement of the church since the 1940s for voting and storage of their records. Occasionally, the church was used for meetings and other social functions. In more recent years, the church has been made available for weddings.

The architectural design of the church draws from a New England meeting house design. The rounded dome of the steeple with the arches of the cupola are of the 1600s design modeled from Sir Christopher Wren's work, the architect of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Double doors lead into the vestibule of birch and maple. Double oak doors allow for entry into the main chapel. The walls and ceiling graduate from twelve feet to seventeen feet in height. There are eight stained glass windows (6'6" x 32") and square nails are used in the fluting frames of these windows. The walls are of birch and maple combined with wainscoting.

Owned by the Town of Duane, the town provides the funding for maintenance and repairs. The repairs that have been completed have been done over the course of several years, as funding allows. On June 28, 1991, the church was listed on the State Register of Historic Places, and in May 1992, a National Register plaque was erected at the church.

The Church of Saint Sacrement For long-term stewardship of the Church of Saint Sacrement in Bolton Landing

The Church of Saint Sacrement For long-term stewardship of the Church of Saint Sacrement in Bolton Landing The Reverend Robert Fulton Crary was active in the founding and design development of the Episcopal church in Bolton Landing. Having first preached to Episcopalians at the local Baptist church in 1862, by 1866 enough funds had been secured to begin building what was to become the Church of St. Sacrement. Crary presented his proposal to the New York Diocese, which included designs presented by Richard Upjohn and Son.

In Adirondack Churches: A History of Design and Building, Sally Svenson wrote, "While the 1867-69 Church of St. Sacrement was built to Upjohn plans, these plans were not drawn for that building. The Upjohns, as early professional architects, made a point of insisting that their plans remained their own property...." The plans used in the Bolton Landing design were from the 1865 Church of the Holy Comforter in Eltingville, on the southern tip of Staten Island.

It was determined that a stone structure would be better suited to the local climate and "more in keeping with the natural features of the place," rather than wood as was used in the Staten Island church. The windows and doors were given lancet arches, and buttresses were added to strengthen the effect of the stonework. The bell cote never held a bell, since the one donated was too heavy for the structure. Rather, it was hung in a low belfry positioned on the ground a short distance from the church. Patterned polychromatic slate, a building material that gained popularity in the second half of the nineteenth century was used for the roof.

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