Historic House Trust

The Historic House Trust of New York City was formed in 1989 as a public-private partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreationcite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2007/03/27/2007-03-27_restoration_bringing_lott_all_back_home.html|title= Restoration bringing Lott all back home|last=Albanese|first=Laura|date=2007-03-26|work=New York Daily News|accessdate=2008-08-13] to preserve the historic houses located within New York City parks, although not all the houses were originally city-owned.Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFD8123DF930A15755C0A96F948260|title=Polishing the City's Gems|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=1989-06-23|work=The New York Times] The Trust works with the individual houses to restore and promote the houses as a means of educating residents and visitors about the social, economic and political history of New York City and cast urban history in a new light. The Trust includes 22 historic sites, with 18 operating as museums and attracting 650,000 annual visitors.Cite web|url=http://www.historichousetrust.org/page.php?p_id=16|title=About Us|accessdate=2008-03-15|publisher=The Historic House Trust of New York City]

Properties

The Historic House Trust includes properties in each of New York City's five boroughs,Cite web|url=http://www.historichousetrust.org/item_list.php|title=Houses|accessdate=2008-03-15|publisher=The Historic House Trust of New York City] and there is a house for every period in the City's history according to one characterization of significant periods in the City's history.Cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0908/p14s01-trgn.htm|title=Houses Bring New York's Past to Life|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=2004-09-08|author=Amy Gale|work=The Christian Science Monitor] Of course, by other characterizations of periods, the assertion is not true. Verify source|date=May 2008 A number of the properties have live-in caretakers to help prevent against vandalism and other problems.Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DD1631F930A15756C0A96F958260|title=Making it Work; A Life of Housework|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=1999-05-23|author=Lynn M. Ermann|work=The New York Times]

History

In 1988, the City Parks department established a Historic House Office to preserve the 16 City-owned historic house-museums located in City parks. This office gave way to the Historic House Trust of New York City in 1989, funded by private donations, as well as grants,Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E3D6163FF93BA15755C0A96E958260|title=Marine Park; A Farmhouse with a Future|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=1998-06-28|author=Richard Weir|work=The New York Times] with the goal of each house becoming a professionally-accredited museum.Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DC163AF933A25752C1A967958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/G/Gotbaum,%20Betsy|title=Old Yacht Club|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=1991-11-10|author=Timothy C. Forbes, Betsy Gotbaum|work=The New York Times] In an effort to increase awareness of the program during its first year of operation, the Trust developed a so-called passport program wherein visitors would receive stamps each time they visited one of the houses. If a visitor went to all 15 properties, they would receive an audience with the Mayor.Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEEDC1338F931A15755C0A96F948260|title=Currents; A Passport to History in Houses|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=1989-06-22|author=Carol Vogel|work=The New York Times] HHT's passport program was brought back in 2008 as a method of commemorating the Trust's 20th anniversary. [cite web|url=http://historichousetrust.org/assets/template_images/menu/menu_anniversary.jpg|title=20th Anniversary|publisher=Historic House Trust|accessdate=2008-08-13]

The Trust also holds events such as the Historic Houses Festival, during which all the houses are open with different events at each, in order to raise awareness.Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DEFD81E3BF932A25756C0A96F948260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/H/Historic%20Buildings%20and%20Sites|title=15 Historic Houses Saved from Obscurity|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=1989-05-11|work=The New York Times] New properties are added to the Trust when they come under city control if private care-taking or ownership has not succeeded,Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE4D7173CF93BA15751C0A96F958260|title=Fort Totten's Old Houses are Tottering|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=1999-02-28|author=Richard Weir|work=The New York Times] although the contents of the home may remain under private ownership.Cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505EFD7163BF931A15755C0A9659C8B63|title=Fresh Hope for a Modest House That Helped Nurture Freedom|accessdate=2008-03-15|year=2003-06-22|author=Jim O'Grady|work=The New York Times]

References

External links

* [http://www.historichousetrust.org/index.php The Historic House Trust of New York City]