Leigh Eckmair, 1743 Palatine House

Win Otsego 2000 Preservation Prizes

ROSEBOOM – Otsego 2000’s 2015 Preservation Advocate Award this evening will be presented to Leigh Eckmair, Town of Butternuts and Village of Gilbertsville historian, for “working tirelessly for more than 25 years to restore and maintain the beauty” of her communities.

The ceremony for Otsego 2000’s Preservation Awards will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. today at the Roseboom Historical Association.

The Preservation Advocate Award will go to the Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association for rehabilitation of historic buildings, including the Old Lutheran Parsonage, also known as Palatine House, built in 1743.

Other awards are:

• The Community Pillar Award, to Kelly and Bruce Button for their rehabilitation of the New York House Bed & Breakfast in Sharon Springs.

• The Education & Outreach Award, to the Otsego County Historical Association for compiling a catalog of the markers and their locations (copies will be available at the reception).

• The Renaissance Award, to Barbara Hall and Gary Lozier for their ongoing rehabilitation of the Old Story Tavern in the Village of Cherry Valley.

This year’s judges are preservation experts Cynthia Falk, Jessie Ravage and Gib Vincent.