Wells College attacks Village’s proposed community landmarks
Why did Wells College pay a law firm to send an error-filled attack letter intended to de-rail ordinary government processes in the Village?
The Village of Aurora planned for some time to add a few new community landmark designations to its local law.
One was for a Scenic Landmark designation for the Boat House lawn and small Peach Orchard of the Gayogoho:no (Traditional Cayuga) along the lake. The area is already zoned as Open Space, and is part of a NYS Scenic By-Way. The designation was proposed months before Wells closed.
The other proposal was to name Barler and Campell as Local Landmarks. Their partner building, Long Library, received that status several years ago when it turned 50. At that time, it was noted that the two smaller buildings should be designated when they also turned 50 and became eligible.
The college did NOT object previously to these plans, but on January 8, 2025, they sent this letter vigorously objecting to the proposed designations.
Many comments were received at the Jan. 8 Public Hearing regarding these new nominations. All were positive, except for the one from the College which made a series of bizarre claims, including:
Barler and Campbell are not 50 years old, even though they were built 1974. (Huh?)
They cannot be “local” landmarks because the internationally renowned architect who designed them (Walter Netsch) was from Chicago.
The buildings lack aesthetic value and do not reflect Netsch’s design principles — a demonstrably false claim, given expert professional opinion.
Designation would deprive the college of “investment backed expectations for the properties.” (The college is a not-for-profit organization!)
The designation would prevent “economic development.” (Not so; new owners could take advantage of tax breaks and grant funding to preserve and rehabilitate, rather than demolish and replace.)
The Boat House lawn (probably landscaped by Henry Wells) lacks “any historic or aesthetic distinction.” (This ignores its contribution to the Aurora / Wells National Historic Register District and significance to the Cayuga Nation.)
“It is well known that the College would oppose the designation of these properties.” (That is a preposterous assumption, given that no objection was raised in previous months or years!)
In addition to sending the letter, Wells President Henking attended the Public Hearing to reiterate the attorney's points to the Community Preservation Panel. She was questioned by the Panel, which then voted to proceed with a recommendation to the Village Board for the long-planned landmark designations. (Please note: more than a dozen campus buildings are already listed on the Aurora / Wells National Historic Register District; adding these new local designations is not a big deal. Why has the college made it one?)
Update: Here is a superb response by the Village Historian to the attorney’s letter, which she presented to the Village Board of Trustees on Jan. 15. At that meeting, the Trustees unanimously voted to proceed with the Panel’s recommendation, and to hold a Public Hearing on the proposed landmark designations on February 19th.
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So, what can alums and friends of Wells do? By 4:00 pm on 2/19, write a brief email supporting Local Landmark designation for Barler and Campbell and Scenic Landmark designation for the Boathouse Lawn. A few sentences will do it! (There won’t be time to read them aloud in the hearing, but you will be counted!) Credentialed professionals in architecture, preservation, history or allied fields are encouraged to email longer supporting statements on .pdf letterhead. Send them to villageclerk@auroranewyork.us.
