Landmark status awarded, and more good news!

GOOD NEWS ! On March 19, Local Landmark status was adopted into Aurora Village law for the Barler and Campbell buildings (Wells Arts Complex), an historic residential district off Main Street, and — The Boathouse Lawn which has been loved by every Wells student for 156 years and now can be cherished for generations to come!

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who wrote for and participated in the 3 public hearings, especially the new friends the WLS found at the architectural firm of S.O.M. and modernist advocacy group Docomomo, the dedicated regional preservation non-profit groups (Preservation Association of CNY, Landmark Society, and Historic Ithaca), the supportive state-wide advocacy organization, (Preservation League of NYS), the Village government’s Community Preservation Panel and Board of Trustees, and our tireless Village Historian.

In addition, that morning WLS heard that the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has determined officially that Barler and Campbell, together with Long Library, are eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. This is terrific news, as a future owner may pursue the nomination as a way to help fund work (through tax credits) on the spectacular modernist trio of Walter Netsch buildings. The document is on the WLS website.

The individual public comment letters in the 3rd hearing were especially interesting, and we post them here: Dooley, Hindenlang, Thoburn, Schwab. And here is the original nomination letter for Barler & Campbell.