The Wainscott Heritage Project, a nonprofit formed in 2021, will undertake a survey of historic structures in that hamlet after receiving a $14,400 grant from the Preserve New York initiative, funded by the Preservation League of New York State, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.
Historic surveys are often the first step in the establishment of a historic district and the addition of structures to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The new grant, according to the Wainscott Heritage Project, will help assess the "basic historic and/or architectural contexts associated with the development and physical character of an area."
The Sarah Kautz Consulting Corporation has been selected to perform the survey work, which will include inventories of historic buildings that incorporate maps and photographs as well as recommendations for further studies. Sarah Kautz is an archaeologist, historical anthropologist, and preservation advocate who in June lectured on "best practices and models for historic preservation" at the Wainscott Chapel.
Esperanza Leon, a member of the Wainscott Heritage Project board of directors, said the group is "overjoyed" to receive the grant.
"Our organization was founded with the mission to preserve the history and cultural character of Wainscott by protecting its historic structures and significant viewsheds, and we have understood from the start that a survey was an essential first step," she said in a statement.
The Wainscott Heritage Project was one of 19 organizations in 17 counties to receive support totaling $279,936.
"This year's Preserve New York grant cycle was one of the most competitive in the program's history," Jay DiLorenzo, president of the Preservation League of New York State, said in a statement. "The 19 projects funded truly rose to the top and represent a great cross-section of historic resources found across the state. From a Shaker Washhouse upstate to the Little Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn, each project helps tell the story of New York's rich history." C.S.
