Governor Cuomo Announces Grant For Woodlawn Cemetary For Superstorm Sandy Restoration Efforts

On Thursday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced more than $5 million in awards to 14 historically significant properties that suffered severe damage from Superstorm Sandy, including $168,000 to the Woodlawn Cemetery for NYLC_grantthe restoration of three damaged monuments, repairs to approximately 25 memorials and additional site work to remove storm debris. The funding will be used to assess, renovate and protect the landmarks so that they can be appreciated by future generations.

“Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place for many notable New Yorkers, from Fiorello LaGuardia to Duke Ellington. It is a historic, national landmark with great local significance,” said Congressman Eliot Engel.  ” This funding will allow for the necessary clean-up, repairs and restorations needed to restore Woodlawn Cemetery. I appreciate Governor Cuomo’s leadership in ensuring that this is among his many priorities.”​

A National Historic Landmark, deemed by the National Park Service to have the “largest and finest collection of funerary art in the country,” Woodlawn was established in 1863 and currently provides regular lectures and tours that contribute to cultural programming in Bronx..

This first round of funding is provided by the National Park Service and administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Grants are being made available to properties that are on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by municipalities or not-for profit organizations and located in one of 13 FEMA-designated counties. Work must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties and be pre-approved by the State Historic Preservation Office.

“Some of New York’s most treasured historic properties that have withstood the tests of time were battered by Superstorm Sandy and are now more vulnerable to extreme weather,” Governor Cuomo said. “This funding will enable not-for-profit organizations and municipalities to better protect these important places so that they can continue to serve as educational and tourism assets for New York’s communities.”

 

 

 

 

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