The winners were just announced and unfortunately we did not win this year.  But with 305 votes in our favor, we come away from this experience with the knowledge that we have a great bunch of supporters!  The winner for the New York area was Hudson-Mohawk Humane Society (with 1073 votes).  Thank you again for voting for us and we’ll try again next year!  For all of the grant winners and runners-up, click here for link.

Thanks to all of you who braved the cold on Saturday and stopped by the 38 High Rock Condos office on Broadway for a cup of delicious chowder, generously prepared by Classé Catering.  We sold almost 800 servings of chowder and though we didn’t win “Best Newcomer”, it sure was fun trying!  We hope to try again next year.

In total, we were able to raise over $875 for UPH from the day’s events – all of which goes to fund our operations and upcoming events.  Thank you all!!

UPH is honored to be the host venue for the first annual Evening of Will Power, a gala to benefit the Brave Will Foundation, being held on Saturday, April 24th, 2010.  For events details and ticket information or to learn more about this wonderful organization, please visit www.bravewill.com.

Our debt of gratitude to all of you for helping us to surpass our goal this holiday season.  Thanks to our wonderful supporters who contributed to our Holiday Appeal, we were able to raise nearly $19,000, some of which was restricted to our Bold Step Campaign (and gets matched dollar for dollar by our NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.) all of which goes towards furthering our restoration of the Hall.  We are grateful and look forward to a fantastic year!

Check out our Facebook page! Show your support by becoming a fan of Universal Preservation Hall and while you’re there, view pictures of past events and happenings at the Hall. Feel free to add your own photos and comments.

Looking for a great gift idea for that loved one, co-worker or neighbor who is hard to shop for? How about making a donation in their name to UPH?  We’ll send them a holiday-themed letter announcing your gift and you’ll get a nice tax-deduction!  And you’ll both feel good that you have helped to support Saratoga’s unique year-round performance venue.  Click here to make your contribution.

The Plaza, the Next Big Challenge…

I sometimes reflect that restoring the Universal Preservation Hall has been a series of challenges.  Keeping the building from collapsing was the first.  Getting the Universal Baptist Church into its new sanctuary was another.  Installing new restrooms, still another, and restoring the Great Hall yet another.

We have before us our next big challenge:  The Community Plaza.  This summer we received a challenge grant of $224,536 from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to do the job.  Now we have to raise the money.

There’s a big incentive:  Every dollar you give doubles in value! And the bigger incentive: You will improve the Washington streetscape and the front of the Universal Preservation Hall and Saratoga Springs.

Our Wonderful Board Member Mike Phinney

Many already know that Mike Phinney, the force behind Phinney Design Group, has created the plans for our Community Plaza.  Mike is also helping to raise money for the Community Plaza project by presenting a Tour of Homes on Saturday, October 3rd and Sunday, October 4th from 12 Noon – 5 PM. On Sunday, there will be a reception to follow at UPH from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM.

I went on the tour last year and saw some remarkable structures.  This year promises to be even better.  It includes two houses in the Moss Creek development superbly crafted by Alec Stephens and three remarkable houses in Saratoga Springs: a sustainable structure on Cottage Street that features a solar heated hot water system, rainwater harvesting, drought tolerant landscaping; a modular construction house on Grand Avenue that was assembled on site in just two days; and, the one I really want to see, the renovated carriage house on Talford Place which has been restored to the character it had many years ago.

Simply put, there is no other home design show like this in the area, and this year it is really exciting.  I hope everyone will be able to tour the houses and attend the reception at the Universal Preservation Hall on early Sunday evening.

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Spotlight Newspapers
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A grant recently awarded to a group striving to rebuild an historic church in downtown Saratoga Springs will not only give construction efforts a needed stimulus, but also attract some attention to the long, laborious project.

At least, that’s what members of the Universal Preservation Hall effort hope will happen through the $224,256 challenge grant awarded through the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Once they can match the funds, it will be enough to finish renovating the 1871 building’s entrance in appropriately grandiose fashion. And that will hopefully show passersby that something unique is happening inside the Washington Street church.

“Once the outside is finished, people will think differently about the hall,” said Mary Beth McGarrahan, who works part time as office manager for Universal Preservation Hall.

“Non-profits right now are closing their doors,” she continued. “We’ve had to come to an almost complete standstill until we can have more money in hand.”

Breaking that standstill comes as a relief for this longstanding effort. The UPH became a nonprofit group in 2001, having formed a coalition to save the crumbling building after it was closed for safety reasons in 1999. The United Baptist Church congregation worshiping there could not support the needed repairs and the building seemed to be on the fast track to demolition for a time.

“Had we not acted, the structure would not be,” said Tom Lewis, UPH president of the board of directors. “It would simply be a pile of bricks and broken glass.”

While $2.6 million has been raised and poured back into the building since then, McGarrahan said she’s routinely contacted by people who didn’t realize that the building has been open and hosting events for years now. That’s mostly because it was only recently that work could be started on the exterior of the building—the bulk of the original fundraising went into saving it from collapse.

“The outside has looked like downtown Baghdad,” joked Lewis. “We had no choice but to put the money we had raised into ensuring the integrity of the structure.”

Those improvements include structural work, the installation of heating, new flooring and some electrical upgrades (much of the original wiring was installed in the late 1920s by volunteer labor), not to mention closing gaping holes in the roof.

Once the matching funds are raised and the entrance is finished off, Lewis estimated about $1 million worth of work will remain before Universal Preservation Hall can potentially become the city’s premiere year-round event space.

His optimism is largely because of the grand hall, located on the second floor. While capacity is limited to 300 now, once new flooring is installed and balcony repairs are complete, it will hold 700. Already, the hall has seen significant repairs of its ceiling, stained glass windows and electric work, but much remains.

“Pretty much anywhere you look, we have work to do,” said McGarrahan.

That hasn’t stopped the hall from playing host to weddings, receptions, performances and concerts. On a recent Sunday afternoon, about 130 turned out for a recital by the Nance Dance Company.

Lewis predicted that, in time, the room’s heavenly acoustics and remarkable architecture will make it a much-sought venue.

“Not only does it preserve a historically black congregation in the center of the city….but it also does some wonderful things for the community,” he said. “There is no community hall that is this size.”

Downstairs, a smaller meeting space has been host to lectures, fundraisers and luncheons. A nearby room littered with tools and equipment will one day become an on-site kitchen for caterers.

Down the hall, a designated space for the United Baptist Church is already established. A mutually beneficial agreement has been worked out between the two groups that allowed the UPH to take control of the building while the church holds the land it sits on. The congregation will continue to worship in the historic church.

Despite having slowly climbed a “mountain of money” for the better part of a decade to reach this point, and with the end still not in sight, Lewis said that the continued success of the effort has been encouraging.

“There were a lot of people who said this would never work. Fortunately with every improvement we’ve made to the building, we’ve gained credibility in the community with the few naysayers,” he said. “I personally am very fortunate to live in a town which values such things as this building.”

For information on the Universal Preservation Hall, to donate to the restoration effort or to inquire about hosting an event there, visit www.universalpreservationhall.org.

The Universal Preservation Hall is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a matching grant of $224,256 from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to complete the Hall’s Community Plaza on Washington Street.

The Board of Directors cordially invite you to join us at the Hall on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 2:00PM when Commissioner Carol Ash of the Parks Office will make a public announcement of the award.

For more information on our Bold Step Campaign, go to Support UPH or contact Mary Beth McGarrahan at manager@universalpreservationhall.org or by calling (518) 584-2627.

Many, many thanks for all of the efforts of our dedicated volunteers, especially those of our Fundraising Co-Chair Teddy Foster, at Siro’s Restaurant yesterday for our Derby Day raffle. It was a great day for the Derby and for the Hall! A big thank you goes out to all of our supporters who came out to watch a great Kentucky Derby, enjoy a few laughs, and help us to raise $1,275 for our Hall!

Our roving photographer, Harry Simpson, took some excellent pictures of the festivities so please contact Mary Beth McGarrahan if you would like to purchase a photograph from the event.

We had five lucky fans who each won the wondeful prizes donated by the local businesses listed below. The winners are:

16 x 20 framed photo of the 2009 Derby Winner Mine That Bird – MARK PATTEN
Visit to the Oklahoma Track with trainer Bill Allyn – SCOTT VARLEY
Round of Golf for 4 @ Saratoga National Golf Course – JIMMY OLSEN
Spa Cascada – manicure & pedicure – FRANK MARGAN
Free Night at the Marriott Residence Inn – PETER PERCIA

As always, we are truly grateful for our supporters and volunteers and appreciate all our community is doing to help save the Hall. Please patronize our local businesses that donated raffle items!

The Saratoga Today Newspaper published a wonderful article about our ongoing work, both the interior and the exterior restoration, and the large strides that have been made towards completing the Community Plaza (our front steps and sidewalk area). Please click here to read the article.