RUPCO Receives Recognition from the Preservation League

NEWBURGH – RUPCO has received a 2024 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of NYS for their completion of the Newburgh East End II project.

Since 1984, the League’s annual Excellence Awards program has shined a light on the people who are using historic preservation to make all our lives better – through exemplary restoration projects, indispensable publications, individual action, and organizational distinction. This year’s Award winners will be recognized at a public reception in NYC on Friday, November 15.

“We’re very proud of our preservation work in the East End district of the City of Newburgh, the second-largest historic district in New York.” said Kevin O’Connor, RUPCO’s CEO.

“Following an earlier phase, East End II adds the remarkable restoration of the former United Methodist Church and ten historic, scattered site buildings. We appreciate the recognition of the Preservation League of New York for our efforts, as it helps highlight the critical work of saving our history for future generations to come.”

East End II is RUPCO’s largest project to date. This $37- million scattered-site development -completed in 2023- includes 24 building sites in a seven-block radius located in New York State’s second-largest historic district. East End II has historically restored 10 vacant buildings and constructed new buildings on 12 vacant sites – creating a total of 61 new, mixed-income homes plus a community hub space.

The project includes ten apartments for formerly homeless persons who now receive rental subsidy and case management services through an Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) grant through the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports.

In addition, RUPCO partnered with local nonprofit LYNC to adapt and reuse the former United Methodist Church as a commercial and community service hub called “Highpoint.”

The campus spans an entire city block -17,000 sf- and includes the former Church, the newly restored 257 Liberty Street building, and the City-owned Audrey Carey Park.

Highpoint, managed by LYNC, serves as the home to the Newburgh YouthBuild, a pre-apprenticeship program, and also houses an event space, a co-working lounge for women of color, a retail space, and a health center.

The project joins RUPCO’s East End I -completed in 2018- which created 45 mixed-income apartments in 15 buildings on a scattered-site campus, totaling 106 affordable homes developed in the heart of Newburgh. The projects are conveniently located adjacent to the Broadway business and government corridor, SUNY Orange (Newburgh Campus), Mount Saint Mary College, and St. Luke Cornell Hospital.

The development team includes RUPCO as the developer and managing agent. The NYS Homes and Community Renewal, NYS Office NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports, NYSERDA, Orange County, Raymond James & Webster Bank as funding partners. Lync, the City of Newburgh, and the Newburgh Community Land Bank as community partners. And Coppola Associates, Dutton Architecture as the project architects.

“The nominations that came in for this year’s Awards were some of the strongest we’ve seen in the 40 years the League has run this statewide program,” said Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo. “Our winners represent the many ways preservation can lift up communities, bring people together, and celebrate the diversity of our built and cultural heritage.”

2024 Awardees
Reynold’s Way, Elmira, Chemung County; Little Caribbean, Brooklyn, Kings County; Town of Avon Opera Hall Rehabilitation, Livingston County; Canal Commons, Rochester, Monroe County; Still Standing: The Barns of J.T. Wells and Sons, Pittsford, Monroe County; Roosevelt Island Lighthouse Restoration, New York County; Moyer Carriage Lofts, Syracuse, Onondaga County; Newburgh East End II, Orange County; Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church, Astoria, Queens County; Revive 65 Phila, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County.

Recipients of the Excellence Award represent the very best of what the League stands for and supports in historic preservation. They exemplify best practices in the field and demonstrate how preservation is integral to building stronger neighborhoods, boosting local economies, tackling the affordable housing crisis, mitigating climate change, opening our eyes to overlooked history, and saving the places that are special to all of us. The Excellence Awards celebrate those who work so hard to protect that shared heritage.

About the Preservation League of New York State
Since its founding in 1974, the Preservation League of NYS has built a reputation for action and effectiveness. Our goal has been to preserve our historic buildings, districts, and landscapes and to build a better New York, one community at a time. The League empowers all New Yorkers to use historic preservation to enrich their communities, protect their heritage, and build a sustainable future.