Doomed Heritage in Central New York
A church in Fulton, N.Y.
Credit: Steven Lindsey
July 6, 2009
Dear Preservation 911,
Each year I spend time vacationing in Central New York State. I see so much potential here; also, sadly, see so much indifference. I see so much threatened. So much that would be valued by those who live in urban areas to the south. So much that should still be the pride of those living there.
This trend so bothers me that I am driven to write letters in protest every five years or so. In 2003 it was an 1819 Erie Canal warehouse in the village of Chittenango that was also the first place favorite son Frank L Baum staged performances. A wind-swept, grass lot with six anemic Norway maples is all that replaced it. So much for the promised pocket park and gazebo that would have been highly attractive to the wedding trade. To use New York vernacular, we was robbed!
This summer, it is a grand church in Fulton on the chopping block, a stone's throw away from the canal. The Congregational Church anchors what should be designated a historic district on Broadway. The site was rezoned and the brick and stone church, along with two other historic homes to the north, are slated for demolition in the near future.
An out-of-town video store chain will build an urban sprawl type shopping center, diminishing the historic value of nearby mercantile buildings. Once removed from its anchoring position on corner of Broadway and West First Street, the loss of the Romanesque church, one of the grandest edifices in Fulton, will hasten the demise of nearby historic structures.
Fulton is already given over to urban sprawl. This pivotal change heralds the loss of what little remains from this once proud city's heyday as a late 1800s industrial powerhouse. The time to rally for the church and more is now. To save what rich cultural heritage remains in Central New York.
For verification, call me at 603-546-7375 or email me at SteveLindsey60@hotmail.com or NewSteveLi@gmail.com
Rep. Steven Lindsey
Ches-3
89 Marlboro St.
Keene, NH 03431
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