A City in Decline Fighting to Preserve Its 1800’s Heritage (NYT)

From The New York Times, July 14, 2006 - By MICHELLE YORK (NYT) - New York and Region - News :

“Utica has lost an awful lot of historic buildings, and some of those buildings that were torn down would make you cry, they were so beautiful,” said Michael Bosak of the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica. “We want to stop the deterioration.”

So earlier this year, the Landmarks Society, which puts out a list each year of a dozen or so at-risk buildings, declared that so many of the remaining historical buildings were falling into disrepair that the architectural integrity of the entire city, once a thriving center for textiles and beer, was endangered.

“The decision was difficult for numerous reasons,’’ Michael S. Rizzo, the society’s president, said in an e-mail message. “First, we had to grasp and understand the idea. Could an entire city really be endangered? After we digested that, and believed it to be true, we knew we would face criticism and lose favor from those that can’t see the big picture.”

With the declaration, the Landmarks Society, a volunteer group, said it hoped to push city officials and private property owners into redoubling their efforts to save historic structures. But as Mr. Rizzo predicted, the society has been criticized.

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