AARCH’s Annual Preservation Awards recognize exemplary historic preservation work throughout the region. We honor examples of sensitive restoration, adaptive reuse, community revitalization, and long-term stewardship. Our 2026 recipients represent the wide range of projects, places, and people who are helping to preserve and enhance the unique heritage and built environment of the Adirondacks.
We are pleased to announce our
2026 Preservation Award Winners!
Thank you to everyone who joined us at The Lodge at Schroon Lake on October 2 to celebrate this year’s awardees!
David Thomas-Train: Lifetime Achievement
Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine, Essex County
David Thomas-Train helped found the Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine in 1997 and retired from his role as Coordinator in spring 2026. He led the group with enthusiasm, patience, and his signature good humor. We are pleased to honor him with a lifetime achievement award for his dedication to not only preserving the Poke-O-Moonshine fire tower, but engaging hikers with the site’s cultural and natural history.
First Church of Granville: Rehabilitation
Cristiana Peña & Nick Porter, Granville, Washington County
Originally constructed circa 1793 as the First Church of Granville, Cristiana and Nick have rehabilitated the structure as a residence. Newly coined Welsh Hall, the home showcases original features like a frescoed ceiling and whimsical windows. This church-turned-home was featured on the HGTV production, “Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?,” and is a great example of how imagination and grit can breathe new life into any structure.
Caddie House: Long-Term Stewardship
Karl Beckwith Smith & Harold Hilton Truesdale, Loon Lake, Franklin County
Built in 1895 as part of Ferd and Mary Chase’s Loon Lake Hotel, the Caddie House has been carefully stewarded by Karl Beckwith Smith and Harold Hilton Truesdale since 1978. Karl and Harold restored original features like the pressed tin ceilings/walls and wood floors covered with years of golf cleat holes as well as reglazed the windows and repurposed the old golf lockers into closets. They have generously opened the Caddie House for AARCH tours since 1997.
Kessel Park Inn: Long-Term Stewardship
Richard L. & Zoanne K. Schnell, Port Douglass, Essex County
Constructed circa 1890 and perched on the shore of Lake Champlain, the Kessel Park Inn has been lovingly stewarded by Richard and Zoanne Schnell since 1978, showcasing a striking blend of Adirondack camp and Craftsman-influenced interiors. In addition to its carefully preserved features, such as Douglas fir paneling, converted gas light fixtures, and the 21-foot-long bar in the Great Room, the Inn is also notable as the former home of Adam Kessel Jr., an early Hollywood mogul who made it the site of movie deals and celebrity visits when he purchased the home in 1912.
Eagle Island Camp: Restoration
Eagle Island, Inc., Saranac Lake, Franklin County
Designed by renowned Adirondack architect William Coulter in 1903, the National Historic Landmark-listed Great Camp, Eagle Island, has been rescued and restored over the past 10 years. After operating as a Girl Scout camp from 1938–2008, the nonprofit Eagle Island, Inc. acquired the property in 2015 and set about restoring the neglected site as a youth camp. Thanks to strong partnerships and enthusiastic volunteers, the camp is once again empowering young women while preserving a special piece of Adirondack history.
Trudeau Building: Rehabilitation
Historic Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake, Franklin County
The Trudeau Building was constructed in 1894 as the home and medical office of Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau, a physician and scientist internationally renowned for his research on and treatment of tuberculosis. Built next door to Dr. Trudeau’s laboratory, his home housed the medical offices of three generations of Trudeau doctors and their associates for 125 years and preserves the earliest restored cure porch in the village. Based in the laboratory next door, Historic Saranac Lake purchased the Trudeau Building in 2019 to rejoin the properties and expand their museum campus, with the new exhibit space opening in summer 2026.