The Church Receives 2024 Project Excellence Award from Preservation Long Island

Preservation Long Island, a regional nonprofit dedicated to working with communities across Long Island to protect and celebrate historic places, has announced the recipients of the 2024 Preservation Awards. The Church in Sag Harbor has been awarded the Preservation Award for Project Excellence. The awardees will be honored at an awards ceremony and reception on January 25, 2025, in Cold Spring Harbor.

The Church, a public arts space in Sag Harbor, is being recognized as a remarkable example of adaptive reuse, transforming a 19th-century Methodist church into a dynamic arts and cultural hub. Renovated under the leadership of artists April Gornik and Eric Fischl, with design by architect Lee Skolnick, the project preserved the building’s historical essence while introducing modern features like a glass elevator to suit contemporary needs.

The Preservation Awards are presented in alternating years to recognize individuals, organizations, and projects that demonstrate extraordinary achievement in fields related to historic preservation on Long Island. In addition, the Howard C. Sherwood Award will be presented this year. Established in 1974 in honor of Preservation Long Island’s founder, the award is reserved for individuals who demonstrate exceptional, life-time achievement in historic preservation.

“This year’s awardees demonstrate not only excellence in historically sensitive design and rehabilitation, they also represent successful preservation efforts in a wide range of areas that include individual and community-driven leadership for the protection of historically significant sites for public space, as well as the adaptive reuse of historic buildings by local organizations and businesses,” said Jackie Powers, Preservation Long Island’s Executive Director.

“This year’s awardees highlight the remarkable geographic and architectural diversity of Long Island. What they all share is the power to demonstrate how historic buildings, when approached with vision and a deep appreciation for the past, can be transformed into landmarks that not only preserve history but actively serve and uplift the communities they are part of,” said Tara Cubie, Preservation Director at Preservation Long Island. Tara added, “We are excited to be able to return to showcasing all of our awardees at an in-person award event at our headquarters gallery.”