It’s a Porch Party

A {Virtual} Celebration

WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA BOSSHART, SARATOGA SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION PHOTOS PROVIDED

On Thursday, May 7th the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation was scheduled to host its Porch Party, the kick-off event to its annual Historic Homes Tour. Each year, the Historic Homes Tour provides the rare opportunity to see the private interiors of historic homes throughout Saratoga Springs. Sadly, like so many events, the Porch Party and the Tour had to be postponed due to the Coronavirus. The Porch Party always marks the start of spring and provides one of the first opportunities to reconnect with people after a long, cold winter. Warm weather and being with friends are two things that I think all of us are particularly longing for during this time of quarantine. With everyone moving to virtual meetings and happy hours, the Foundation thought that while the Porch Party could not take place in person, it could bring the Porch Party to everyone in their own home. A virtual event could serve not only as a reminder that this would have been time when we would have gathered together on a beautiful historic porch to enjoy good food, drinks, and live music, but also as a way to encourage people to order take out to support local restaurants during these challenging times. The Virtual Porch Party was held on the evening of Saturday, May 9th from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. via Facebook Live. Leading up to the event, the Foundation not only encouraged people to order take-out, but also offered Porch-traits by Brian V Photography for families to memorialize this moment in time for a donation, hosted a porch decorating contest to get people into the spirit, and encouraged people to post photos of themselves toasting preservation the night of the event and tag the Foundation to win giveaways of gift cards to local restaurants and businesses. These gift cards were donated by the Board of Directors as their way to give back to those who have supported the Foundation in the past. As the largest fundraiser of the year for the Foundation, the Board of Directors and staff were disappointed to have the Historic Homes Tour and Porch Party postponed, but after years of planning events

The 2016 Porch Party that took place at 48 Union Avenue. Photo Credit: The Harris Company

People enjoying the Virtual Porch Party at 748 North Broadway, the location of where the 2020 Porch Party is to take place in person.

that are contingent on the weather, there was a sense of relief that this event was virtual when the forecast called for snow! At 5:30 p.m., I braved the cold temperatures to welcome everyone virtually from where the event was originally to take place, 748 North Broadway. Live from the lovely wrap-around porch beautifully decorated with the assistance of Deborah DePasquale of TOGA HERITAGE, I shared our mission of preserving the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs and a bit of the Foundation’s history – its role in the rehabilitation of more than 25 buildings downtown; establishment of historic districts that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the intervention that prevented the demolition of the former United Methodist Church, which is now home to the beautiful UPH; helped owners of historic buildings secure tax credits to assist them with the cost of rehabilitating of their historic buildings – such as 15 Franklin Street; and restored, in partnership with the City of Saratoga Springs, the Spirit of Life and Spencer Trask Memorial in Congress Park. Throughout the evening popular local musician Rich Ortiz played a great array of songs –James Taylor, Van Morrison, Dave Matthews Band, Beatles, and others, as well as some of his originals – from the comfort of his own home since it was too cold for him to play on the porch of 748 North Broadway as originally planned. In between sets, I shared about the history of 748 North Broadway and the sister house next door. The two houses were built by two friends – Edward Stevens and Charles Lester. While each has the same floor plan, one was built of brick and the other of wood. However, they no longer look similar because of alterations made over the years. I also shared that porches of the grand hotels on Broadway like the large Grand Union, the United States, and the Grand Central Hotels and the smaller hotels such as the Adelphi – being the place to be and the place to be seen which along with the architectural significance of porches, served as the inspiration for hosting a Porch Party.

Circa 1910 Grand Union Hotel, photo credit: Library of Congress

Visitors enjoying the porches of the Grand Union Hotel, circa 1910, photo credit: New York Public Library.

“Porch-trait” by Brian V Photography of Robert Davis and Denise McDonald, who won Porch Package from Impressions of Saratoga for their Moment in History Themed Porch .

Porches initially gained popularity in America because they provided shelter from the elements – rain, sun, and snow – as well as shade and breezes during the warmer times of the year. Porches allowed people to enjoy nature while being sheltered and created an outdoor living space – a place to gather family and friends to entertain and relax. Porches also provided an opportunity to demonstrate status as can be seen on the grand residences on North Broadway and Union Avenue. Much like the unique architecture that our city is known for, there is an enormous variety of porches in Saratoga Springs because of the endless combination of placement, shapes, sizes, columns, balustrades, and decorative details. A house may have more than one porch and a variety of types. Porches are either inset under the roof of the house or built as an extension to the house with a roof that is independent from the roof of the main house. They may or may not be the fullheight of the house and can be as wide as the entryway, the full-width of the house, or wrap-around the house. Porches feature support columns and often have balustrades and decorative details – such as brackets, friezes, and cornices. Columns can range from simple square posts to elaborate Corinthian columns. The balustrades, which provide safety, can either be open to allow for breezes or solid and also can be simple or elaborate. Columns and balustrades can be made of wood, stone, brick, or metal. I encourage you to take a look at the many different types of porches in our historic neighborhoods the next time you are out walking. From the porch of 230 Nelson Avenue, Adam Favro, President of the Board of Directors, shared, “The resources that the Foundation provided me and my wife Kira while undertaking the rehabilitation of our circa 1900 Queen Anne home and my appreciation of the craftsmanship of our historic buildings was the motivation for why I became involved with the Foundation.” He also thanked our Historic Homes Tour Honorary Co-Chairs, Charles and Candace Wait, and our many Honorary Committee members as well as shared how grateful we are for the generous support of Ionic Level Sponsors – The Adirondack Trust Company, Bonacio Construction, Inc., Julie & Co. Realty, New York Racing Association, and Saratoga Builders Association; Doric Level Sponsors – Brand 21, DeCrescente Distributing Company, Miller Printing, and Saratoga TODAY; and Tuscan Level Sponsors – Allerdice Ace Hardware, The Alpine Sport Shop, Burns Management, Cudney’s Cleaners, D’Orazio Peterson, LLP, DeGraff, Foy & Kunz Attorneys at Law, Discover Saratoga, Hilltop Construction, Life & Love Events, Roohan Realty, Sensory Six, Springer Holdings LLC, Stewart’s Shops, Sterling Manor Financial LLC, Teakwood Builders, Witt Construction, and Zieker Eye Ophthalmology. We are particularly grateful for the support we have received for this event thus far, as it allows us to continue to fulfill our mission during these uncertain times.

Jennifer Betsworth and Matthew Shepherd’s son Alden enjoying listening to local musician Rich Ortiz.

Kelsey Killian with others Toasting Preservation in their winter coats and face masks.

Foundation board member Cindy Spence Toasting Preservation.

Corporate Sponsor D’Orazio Peterson LLP post.

Saratoga County Chamber President Todd Shimkus in his winter coat enjoying the Virtual Porch Party. Life & Love Events photo.

Teri Armer DeSorbo’s Porch from Captiva, Florida.

Colleen McMahon and her daughter Daphne on their porch in the snow.

Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri.

Life and Love Event Post.

Overall, the Virtual Porch Party was a success – more than 125 tuned in via Facebook Live, many sharing pictures and comments through the evening. Since then the video (https://bit.ly/35YtdD4) posted to the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s Facebook page has been viewed more than 5,000 times and over $4,000 was raised in response to the event.

The Foundation hopes to host another Porch Party in the near future, so stayed tuned! Please visit our website, SaratogaPreservation.org, to learn more about upcoming events, make a donation to support preserving the places that matter in Saratoga Springs, and to become a member. S S