Celebratin� 45 Years Photo by Mitch Cohen
o� Preservation
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WRITTEN BY SAMANTHA BOSSHART, SARATOGA SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION
his year marks the 45th anniversary of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation preserving and enhancing the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs. Our vibrant, beautiful city is far different from the one 45 years ago.
Between the 1950s and 1970s, Saratoga Springs was a historic resort community in decline. Important local landmarks had been lost to a struggling economy, urban renewal, and devastating fires. Those losses combined
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with the prospects of a hotel being built in historic Congress Park; a highway going through Franklin Square, our oldest residential neighborhood; and the construction of a mall, sparked members of the community to create the “Plan for Action,” to revitalize downtown. Critical to the plan’s success was the preservation of downtown’s historic buildings. In 1977, the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation was established to oversee a grant program that provided $450,000 in funding to restore historic exteriors of 26 buildings and make them code compliant. saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
