 Hello. On behalf of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, welcome to the 2022 National Preservation Awards, where we'll be inspired by extraordinary preservation stories and the individuals who made them happen. I'm Bob Vila, and I'm joining you from Lindhurst in Tarrytown, New York, a National Trust Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark, and one of America's finest Gothic Revival masterpieces. Designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis, the mansion's architectural brilliance is complemented by its comprehensive collection of original decorative arts and the estate's park-like landscape. Stewarded over time by three families and their staff, the site also has a rich history of service to the community, from providing a space for soldiers to heal after World War II, to hosting schools for disadvantaged children so they could break the cycle of poverty. In 1961, Lindhurst was bequeathed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and in 1965 it opened to the public as a historic site where people come to enjoy historic and interpretive tours of the mansion and grounds. Nationally recognized as exhibitions and high profile special events. While over the last two centuries this building holds great cultural significance, we also acknowledge that Lindhurst was built on the traditional land of the indigenous Lenape and Munze people who are the first inhabitants of the Hudson Valley. In this program we will hear stories from thoughtful and impassioned individuals, caretakers of not just physical spaces, but of culture, of lived experiences, and of collective memory. The past forward theme this year is moving from vision to action and we'll meet folks who have seen an opportunity, taken action, and positively impacted their communities. Their vigilance and dedication towards preservation helps us all learn about who has come before us and in that process to reflect upon who we are now and where we want to go in the future. It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the honorees for the 2022 National Preservation Awards. We begin with the Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence, an award that honors superlative and continued achievement in historic preservation by an organization, given this year to a group that has come up with a trailblazing approach to making a once-invisible history visible. I'm pleased to present the Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence to the New York City LGBT Sites Project. The New York City LGBT Historic Sites Project has become a leading voice in preservation since its launch in 2015. Initially funded by a federal grant and based on over 30 years of research and advocacy by its three pro bono founders and directors, the Innovative LGBT Initiative is the only one of its kind with full-time staff. It is a project partner of the Fund for the City of New York, its fiscal sponsor, and its Diverse Advisory Committee consists of 15 people involved in not-for-profit management, history, and preservation. Their work seeks to identify sites connected to New York City's LGBT history and culture and provide teaching tools for each one. The robust and interactive website, which includes about 400 extant LGBT sites, mixes research with sophisticated mapping and provides options for every kind of learner. What started as a modest survey is now a multifaceted initiative that provides new educational resources, advocacy, engaging in-person and virtual programs, robust social media channels, an ongoing consultation with enthusiasts, students, historians, government officials, and the media. The group has influenced and catalyzed numerous LGBT heritage initiatives and organizations nationally and globally. At its launch, there were only two sites in the U.S. listed on the National Register for Historic Places for their LGBT associations. Today, there are 27 nationally, 11 of which are in New York City. New York City LGBT Historic Sites Project challenges the public to rethink and broaden its understanding of LGBT history, reconsider the physical environment and cultural heritage of the city, and reframe American history. I'm Ken Luspead, our co-director of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. On behalf of my co-directors, Andrew Dulkart and Jay Shockley and Amanda Davis, our project manager, we're thrilled to receive the trustee's award for organizational excellence. We stand on the model of so many people who have paved the way for LGBT rights and those LGBT individuals who've contributed to American culture. This is especially important now with the pushback on LGBT rights throughout the country. By preserving and interpreting tangible place-based history, we're also providing intangible benefits of pride and continuity and identity for those who are isolated or not aware of their past and in doing so helping to provide a path for pride in understanding how history matters. We're a national model, especially for those other underrepresented communities, by exploring and identifying and documenting cultural sites, many without architectural significance. We're paving the way to show that historic preservation has the power to tell the full story of American history. Receiving the trustee's award for organizational effort really sends a message that LGBTQ history is American history and having the imprimatur of the national trust will help us continue documenting and interpreting LGBTQ history and serve as a model for others throughout the country. Thank you so much Ken and the New York City LGBT Sites Project. The John H. Chaffee Award honors an outstanding and sustained contribution to historic preservation in the field of public policy. This honoree has been a crucial nexus for those advocating for historic places in Arizona, including working with native communities to protect historic sites, broadening support amongst elected officials, and modeling collaboration for other preservation organizations. We're very honored to present the Arizona Preservation Foundation with this year's John H. Chaffee Award. For decades, the Arizona Preservation Foundation has partnered with preservationists and organizations across the state and country to provide the advocacy and care that Arizona's invaluable historic places need and deserve. APF and their local partners are helping to protect national treasures like Oak Flat, a sacred site to the San Carlos Apache and other native tribes. Route 66, an iconic symbol of the open road, Mountain View Officers Club at Fort Huachuca, one of the most significant World War II-era African American officers clubs. Camp Naco, a touchstone for Buffalo soldiers and Black Army regiments following the Civil War, and the Great Bend of the Gila, which APF is working to designate as a national monument. These lands, held sacred by many Arizona tribes, hold archaeological remains of ancestral Hohokam and Pattayan cultures, and rock art panels run throughout the Gila River Valley, culminating at Sears Point, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the Southwest. Their participation in advocacy efforts to the state legislature led to the renewal of funding for the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund after a decade of financial neglect. At the local level, APF is working on housing issues through a project that explores how to add gentle density in Phoenix's downtown area historic districts through accessory dwelling units. At the national level, the foundation has proven effective on Capitol Hill, arranging key meetings with Senator Sinema and several Arizona representatives, and was instrumental in support of the Federal Historic Tax Credit, which revitalizes communities and spurs economic growth by leveraging private investment from the halls of law to venerated cultural landscapes. APF is an essential advocate for the state's heritage and legacy. Thank you. I'm Jim McPherson, ward president of the Arizona Preservation Foundation. I'm coming to you from a locally owned business and community space in a national register building along a street that we're hoping to designate as a commercial heritage district. Since 1979, board members from across Arizona have advocated for spaces, streetscapes, and neighborhoods in their own community meetings, city council chambers, state Capitol hearing rooms, and site tours with legislators. And like you, we've had to work with others to get things done. With historic neighborhood boards, citywide preservation advocacy groups and main street leaders to offer alternatives to demolition. With the Arizona Heritage Alliance to restore significant funding with the broad support of both parties for our state parks heritage fund. With the State Historic Preservation Office to cosponsor our statewide conference to energize our friends and allies to keep up the good fight and provide them with knowledge and tools to do so. With the National Preservation Partners Network and Preservation Action to learn what's successful in other communities to then advocate for good public policy to our congressional delegation. And finally, with the National Trust to encourage officials and stakeholders to protect initiatives like the 11 Most Endangered and America's Treasures. Senator John Chakey's beloved Rhode Island could fit inside our Santa Cruz County, but his love for this country and its landmarks knows no bounds. Thinking of his accomplishments and George Generous Estole of this award in his name, we rededicate our efforts to protect Arizona's historic resources and better tell the stories of the diverse peoples who have called Arizona in the Southwest home. Thank you again. Thank you Jim and Arizona Preservation Foundation. With the Trustees Emeritus Award for Historic Site Stewardship, the National Trust recognizes success and innovation in the preservation, management and programming of historic sites. This year's honoree has renewed the value of a venerated institution and given new life to a neighborhood. We are thrilled to recognize the Calvary Center for Culture and Community with the Trustees Emeritus Award for Historic Site Stewardship. The Calvary Center for Culture and Community displays true innovation and community action at a historic site. In the 1990s, the historic Calvary Methodist Church in West Philadelphia suffered from disinvestment and planned to sell its treasured stained glass windows just to keep up with maintenance costs. That's when community members stepped up to lend support, including architects, educators, artists, business owners and religious leaders. Working with the congregation, they established the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, a diverse and robust organization that would restore and maintain the site, create community space, implement culture and arts programming and promote the neighborhood's rich history, all while remaining in use as a church. When funding was secured, restoration work could begin to bring the building back to its glory, with its tall gothic tower, random ashlar stone, limestone trim, decorative arched windows, stained glass and buttresses. The preserved site is now home to a dizzying amount of programming, two theater companies and independent cinema, two community choirs, five faith communities and nine other non-profits. Along with its impressive stewardship of this beautiful historic space, the Calvary Center has revitalized the community around it. Members have been putting down roots in the neighborhood, and increased foot traffic from activities at Calvary has spurred development of new businesses along the Baltimore Avenue corridor to serve the diverse community. When it was established in 2000, there were few other examples of historic churches being used in this way. The Calvary Center proves that through creative partnerships, innovative solutions and community support, historic sites can be stewarded into a new era of community impact. Hello, my name is Rich Kirk and I'm here in the chapel of the Calvary United Methodist Church building, one of the two major worship spaces in the building. In the very beginning it was a very difficult situation and it was due to the work and efforts of five African American and elderly members of the Calvary United Methodist Church congregation who were in place and able to do the heavy lifting and the hard work to save this building from destruction and from being sold. And it is due to the fact that they did their work that we're all here today so we just owe a great debt of gratitude to them. One of the most important things that Calvary Center manages to do these days is it allows the non-profit organizations that call this place home to remain in this community and do wonderful work that they have done all these past years. With all the gentrification that's gone on, this is practically the only place left where non-profit organizations can afford to find housing. When we started this work we weren't at all sure we'd be able to succeed but not only did we succeed we did it beyond our wildest expectations and thanks to this award we're able to continue to do this into the future. Thank you so much. Thank you Richard and the Calvary Center for Culture and Community. Making way for new voices in the preservation field is essential to ensuring the future of the movement. This year the Emerging Leaders in Historic Preservation Award goes to someone making huge strides in preservation in North Carolina creating an enterprising model for others to emulate along the way. It is with great pride that we present the Emerging Leaders in Historic Preservation Award to Angela Lee. The Haytai Heritage Center in Durham North Carolina is a hub of community life and a source of African-American pride that provides cultural heritage programming under the competent capable and persistent guidance of Executive Director Angela Lee. When Lee joined the organization in 2013 she was new to the world of historic preservation but she recognized the need to establish organizational stability with dedicated staff board members and local residents she has led a renewed commitment to preservation and revitalized Haytai Heritage Center's role in creating connection in the community. Under her leadership Lee has settled organizational debt, created new community programming, tripled the organization's annual audience across their programming, raised over $350,000 for preservation efforts and even serves as chair on Durham's Cultural Advisory Board. Formerly the St. Joseph's AME Church the building that houses the Haytai Heritage Center is the last remaining building of what was once known as Durham's Black Wall Street. When serious leaks in the roof and aging stained glass windows started to threaten the lifespan of the building, Lee's leadership attracted grants one after another to repair and save the existing structure including the recreation of a brilliant community mural celebrating Durham's African-American pride. Thanks in large part to her efforts the Haytai Heritage Center is playing a major role in the revisioning of the Fayetteville Street section of Durham, the major thoroughfare in this largely African-American neighborhood. Ms. Lee has created ways to synthesize diverse communities and competing goals using preservation and cultural efforts as the tool and the community will greatly benefit for years to come. Thank you, thank you very much to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. I am honored deeply honored to be the recipient of the Emerging Leader Award. I could certainly not have done this or achieved this or even been able to be considered for this without a lot of support and relationships, collaborations have been very much a part of the work that I've done at the Haytai Heritage Center. Community organizations such as the Durham Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Jazz Ensemble, educational institutions such as North Carolina Century University and Duke University, other organizations, the Museum of Durham History and the Museum of Life and Science. These among others have been integral to our being able to tell our stories and to our being able to support these other organizations in telling theirs. Certainly we are able to have a broader impact and a much greater reach not just in Durham but in the region and throughout the state and even beyond because of our relationships. Being a part of a national organization such as the National Performance Network certainly has helped advance our work in the arts and arts education. So relationships are very very critical in being able to preserve and tell our stories in a way that is honest, truthful and that will withstand the test of time for generations to come. It's so important to acknowledge the village. Certainly my work is not in a silo. I have an awesome staff. I have been supported by a team that that really is the village. I've also had the support ongoing of board members. I've had the support of community stakeholders and of mentors, folks that I consider to have been very instrumental in my growth since I arrived at the HATI Heritage Center nearly 10 years ago. So I'd like to thank all of these people because without them I certainly would not be sitting here and acknowledging this award today. Thank you so much, Angela. Now I'd like to introduce Jordan Tannenbaum, Vice Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. I'm delighted to be with you to present the National Trust Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is an independent federal agency that promotes the preservation enhancement and productive use of our nation's historic resources. For more than 50 years the ACHP has encouraged federal agencies to be responsible stewards of their historic properties. Together with the National Trust we are pleased to present this award which celebrates exemplary collaborations between federal and non-federal partners that yield extraordinary preservation outcomes. This year's recipient showcases the power of teamwork when it comes to saving historic places for community impact and highlights the important legacy of American labor organizing. We're so pleased to present the Pullman National Monument with the award for federal partnerships in historic preservation. The Pullman Company was known for creating luxurious rail cars but its workers would help form a lasting impact on American life. A legacy of industrialization, urban planning, and the power of labor and community. The site of both the tumultuous 1894 Pullman strike and the first major labor agreement between a company and an African-American union Pullman became the doorway through which many civil rights gains were made. For decades the administration clock tower building at the former Pullman car worksite was essentially an empty shell the surrounding grounds unkempt and overgrown. At risk of demolition in the 1960s local preservation groups kept it alive. And then in 2015 President Obama designated Pullman a national monument thanks to advocacy by the National Trust and others. Results of their success include a new visitor center and park space offered to the public free of charge and inventive re-imaginings like a recreated workers gate based on the original foundation which now stands as a symbol of the workers fight for fair working conditions. In a nod to its history the site officially reopened as the Pullman National Monument and State Historic Site over Labor Day weekend in 2021 with more than 18,000 people attending its grand opening. The impact of this joint effort on the larger community is already visible with the creation of additional public transit options to service the area new businesses and novel neighborhood initiatives. From a grassroots community-based historic preservation effort to a groundbreaking partnership park the success of this project is a testament to the potential of federal partnerships with state and local organizations. I am honored to accept this important award on behalf of the National Park Service the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and our many partners who created the vision for what Pullman National Monument and State Historic Site could be and then work together tirelessly to make that vision a reality. For years to come Pullman will be a model for community-based preservation partnerships. Thank you National Trust for recognizing this important work. Visitors from around the globe will benefit from the preservation and restoration of the historic clock tower building and surrounding factory site as they learn and are inspired by the American stories that live here at Pullman. There are so many people we want to thank for helping us to create the success at Pullman that we have today. People like Mike and Pat Schimanski who have devoted their lives to preserving Pullman. All of the people who worked on the positioning Pullman document that created the vision for what Pullman could be and the community members nearly a thousand people wrote letters of support to Congress encouraging them to create a national park here at Pullman. We could not have done this without all of our partners and I can't thank you enough. Thank you Terry and to the many partners who helped create the Pullman National Monument and now please welcome Anne Lazar executive director of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation to present the three annual Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Awards. Good evening. I'm pleased to join you from the beautifully restored main lobby of the old Cook County Hospital in Chicago as we come together to celebrate this year's Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award recipients. For the seventh year the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation is presenting these awards in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to recognize the best of the best in historic preservation adaptive reuse and the reimagining of historic buildings for the future. The foundation was established in 1992 and continues the legacy of its founder Richard H. Driehaus through passionate and dedicated support of the built environment and historic preservation. Thank you to the National Trust for more than three decades of partnership and for continuing to be an unwavering steward for these awards. The 2022 recipient's vision and tenacity has produced powerful preservation outcomes in buildings and communities of all scales and sizes while tackling some of their community's most urgent needs. Old Cook County Hospital preserves an enduring symbol of the vital role of public hospitals in providing medical care to underserved populations and comes newly equipped with services and amenities to support medical workers, their families and patients. And as you can see the restoration is truly stunning. The transformation of a 106-year-old schoolhouse by two local farm owners and fiber artists has breathed new life into their rural North Dakota town and a Paul R. Williams design building in Los Angeles once a thriving black-owned funeral home business has been adapted into service enriched affordable housing. These achievements have required bold action from the preservationists, developers, community organizations, architects and many more who made them possible. Without daring perseverance and creativity their vision would not have become a reality. I'm thrilled to introduce these exemplary preservation projects and the inspiring people behind them. Please join me in celebrating the achievements of the 2022 Richard H. Dreehouse Foundation National Preservation Award winners. The medical field has the ability to break barriers built by prejudice. This year's first Dreehouse Award goes to an institution that paved the way for the rest of the country decades ahead of the national trends. We're very honored to present the Old Cook County Hospital with the Richard H. Dreehouse Foundation National Preservation Award. The adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of the Old Cook County Hospital, a 106-year-old brick and terracotta-faced building spearheaded by Civic Health Development Group integrates a new contemporary design which protects the historic integrity of the building and showcases the building's unique attributes. Built in 1914 and designed by prominent Chicago area architect Paul Gearhart, Cook County Hospital always championed an inclusive spirit. In its early days it primarily served immigrants earning it the moniker Chicago's Statue of Liberty. And as one of the few hospitals in Chicago that did not discriminate on the basis of race it also became a critical resource for the city's Black community during and after the Great Migration. And as a pioneer for gender equity in the medical profession it was the first major U.S. hospital to hire a female medical director and a female head of surgery. In 2002 it closed when a new facility was built nearby and the teaching hospital was relocated. For years the fate of the neglected Bozar Classical Style building was in limbo as its facade crumbled and the interior was ruined from water damage. But thankfully local preservation groups like Landmarks Illinois and Preservation Chicago as well as supportive county board members promoted redevelopment over demolition and their advocacy paid off taking advantage of federal and state historic tax credits to finance over 20 percent of the massive project. With community input the building has been redeveloped into a hub that serves the Illinois Medical District. A modern hotel for visiting families new medical offices a daycare center a food hall and a museum that pays tribute to the hospital's legacy. All of these amenities support the needs of medical district workers patients and their families while helping revitalize the strong roots of this historic neighborhood. I cannot thank you enough for this award to say the least it's humbling. I'm so enthused not just for our development group but also the entire development team which included so many architects engineers preservationists attorneys and people committed to the turnaround of this phenomenal asset with such a long story tradition in medicine. There are so many pioneering procedures that were developed within the confines of this building that still endeavor and are further developed throughout the world today. The commitment to redevelop this building was nothing short of overwhelming we had included the support of so many community and civic leaders that it developed such a tremendous momentum there was no way that this was not happening. We find this to be a unique coincidence that we're receiving the Richard Dreehouse award because we knew Richard we knew of his enthusiasm not only for history but also for this building specifically and we shared his enthusiasm to renovate restore and preserve its history for the next hundred years and for that we are thankful. Thank you John and well done to all those involved in this massive achievement. Dreams come in many forms and when this next honoree dreamed of the future they were definitely counting sheep against all odds two women championed a cause and in their journey found a community of support. Please welcome Teresa Perleberg and Chris Armbrust to accept the award for Noam Schoolhouse. In 2018 North Dakota fiber artists Teresa Perleberg and Chris Armbrust were looking for a site to house an educational fiber arts center and boutique hotel when they discovered the Noam Schoolhouse. Built in 1916 and lying unused for the past 50 years the structure had a punctured gymnasium leaking ceiling and damaged floors. Facing doubt from their community and local banks that they could restore the schoolhouse Chris and Teresa persevered by putting in their own sweat equity and financing the first year of architects and engineers from their businesses. The renovation that followed included installing a new roof and replicas of the severely damaged original windows and restoring the original hardwood floors facade interior woodwork and interior doors. The building reopened in July of 2021 and visitors can now take fiber arts classes host events and stay overnight. Remnants of school life are still evident with chalkboards on the walls and names of students from generations past scrawled on the bricks. There's even an educational flock of fiber animals who live behind the school. Those who come to stay experience the entire process from fiber animal to finished product a sustainable model for producing handmade textiles. And through social media and their lively youtube channel Chris and Teresa have used their success to encourage other women and entrepreneurs to save historic places in their own communities. Breathing new life into this town of only 42 residents the Noam Schoolhouse is back again inspiring the development of new business in the rural area educating the public and creating community just as the original building was intended. Hi I'm Chris and I'm Teresa and we are so honored and thankful to be receiving this award. When we started this project it went way over budget very quickly and we reached out to our online community and started raising funds and there was an overwhelming feedback from those and through their contributions that we should proceed and so we did so and we are very thankful for this award and in what it's going to be able to do and and get the story out there so that others can find out about what we're doing here. Yes and we have no background in renovations we just we love the the old architecture and saving these old buildings and we hope to inspire others to do the same. Thank you and congratulations Chris and Teresa. The final Dree House award recipient adapted a significant African-American landmark in South Los Angeles to address housing needs for its low-income community. Let's take a look at how they did it. The mission of the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation is to transform communities by creating well designed and environmentally sustainable affordable housing while respecting the history culture and architecture of the communities it serves. Enter the Paul R. Williams Apartments in South Los Angeles which incorporates the historic Angelus Funeral Home into its housing design and offers 41 units of service-enriched affordable housing funded in part by federal historic and low-income housing tax credits. The funeral home was designed in 1934 by Paul R. Williams a groundbreaking Black American architect who overcame countless obstacles to become the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects. His building and landscape design for the Angelus Funeral Home incorporates Spanish colonial revival, Georgian and art deco architectural elements. The banks of French windows frame comforting views of outdoor patios, fountains, flowers and other features. Design elements not found in any other funeral home of that era. Not only was the iconic structure designed by the foremost Black architect of the period but the business itself proved to be an important institution in the emerging Black community of the 1930s by giving people a safe place for laying their loved ones to rest. By the 1950s the business was named one of the nation's largest undertakers and the owners were among the most influential men in African American society. Residents of the neighborhood have historically faced challenges including few government services economic disinvestment and high rates of homelessness. The Paul R. Williams Apartments Complex addresses these challenges employing a service-enriched affordable housing model that delivers programs to residents through a lens of trauma-informed care rebuilding the legacy of its Black residents in an ever-changing neighborhood. Here to accept the award for Paul R. Williams Apartments is council member Curran Price. Hi I'm LAC council member Curran Price from the 9th district and I'm honored to accept this award on behalf of Hollywood Community Housing Corporation. My office is proud to have been there with our state partners from the very beginning helping to raise funds, taking the steps necessary to ensure the residents living there are from within the CD9 community and once we got to the finish line celebrating with the ribbon cutting and welcoming the family as they move in. Much credit goes to Hollywood Community Housing and Executive Director Sarah Lets who has worked tirelessly towards the completion of this beautiful restoration project. You know I've seen the life changing effect on the families of these wonderful partners and it's had such a positive impact on our South LA community helping to address the city's housing crisis. This honor is well deserved. Thank you. Congratulations to the entire team behind this inspiring work. This brings us to our conclusion with the highest honor of the night the Louise DuPont Crown and Shield Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Historic Preservation. To introduce the award please welcome the National Trust's Chair of the Board of Trustees Jay Clements. Congratulations again to all the recipients of the 2022 National Preservation Awards and thank you to the Richard H. Drehouse Foundation whose generous support has made it possible to shine a spotlight on these amazing people accomplishing extraordinary preservation work around the country. Each year we are energized by the stories we hear at this ceremony because they remind us of the remarkable power preservation holds for creating sustainable and inclusive communities. We hope these stories of accomplishment and fortitude leave you feeling motivated to continue tackling our country's biggest challenges by using preservation as a tool for positive change in your own communities. Now on behalf of the Board of Trustees I have the distinct pleasure of presenting the National Trust's highest honor the Louise DuPont Crown and Shield Award for Superlative Achievement in the Field of Historic Preservation. With this year's award we are thrilled to honor two longtime preservationists and stalwart supporters of the movement Peter and Isabel Malgen. Through their leadership Peter and Isabel have been sources of transformational change in New York City, their hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut and at historic places around the country. Peter and Isabel's particular talent for uniting stakeholders officials and donors across a common vision has made outstanding impacts on communities far and wide from providing leadership and preserving iconic buildings and cultural landscapes to serving on the boards of numerous preservation and cultural organizations because of their vision commitment and action local landmarks prominent public places and international icons continue to inspire educate and share our nation's stories today and for future generations. It is our esteem to honor to present the Louise DuPont Crown and Shield Award to Peter and Isabel Malgen. Peter and Isabel Malgen have spent decades preserving some of the most iconic structures and landscapes in the United States from restoring multiple buildings on Harvard University's campus starting in the 1970s to adapting federal buildings in NYC's financial district in the 80s to developing business improvement districts including Grand Central Terminal 34th Street and the Fashion District in the 90s. Their commitment to preservation has been a way of life. When the renowned Merritt Parkway one of the earliest scenic highways in the U.S. and one of the few listed on the National Register of Historic Places was threatened the Melkins were there to help save it. The Merritt Parkway Conservancy where Peter continues to serve as founding chairman stepped in to ensure the preservation of the Parkway 69 historic bridges 38 landscaped miles and six service areas and it is alive and well today. And when Lindhurst the masterpiece of A.J. Davis in New York State was threatened with closure after years of deferred maintenance the Melkins were instrumental in bringing greater public focus to this icon of American architecture by funding several restoration projects and spurred support from other donors. The Melkins have also shown great dedication to the preservation of local sites in their hometown of Greenwich Connecticut. As the longest serving board member of Greenwich Historical Society Isabel led efforts to preserve the National Historic Landmark Bush Holly House a key location for American impressionist painters and Peter chaired the capital campaign to expand and to reimagine its campus. As part of her ardent belief that children should engage with history at a young age Isabel created 19 quality coloring books based upon classic stories and about historic places to encourage and inspire the next generation of preservationists and in their real estate development work the Melkin family have been model stewards of historic buildings proving that existing buildings can be sustainably and economically preserved for continued use. Take the Empire State Building Project where with the leadership by their son Tony the finished product showcases restored art deco details along with the careful retrofitting of more than 6,000 windows and novel enhancements which reduce the building's greenhouse gas emissions by 54 percent. The Empire State Building is hailed as the nation's most successful energy efficiency program. Their family's ongoing stewardship of this international icon and the development of an interpretive center at the landmark demonstrate the Melkin family's impressive dedication to historic places to the stories they tell and to engaging the public with their value. The Melkin's altruistic actions involvement and influence manifest in many forms but above all by their actual achievements they encourage others to follow suit and lead by example. From local landmarks to national treasures the Melkin's steadfast commitment to preservation is an inspiration to all who are working to keep our country's historic places preserved today and relevant into the future. Thank you and hello. Isabel and I greatly appreciate this award. We are a team inspired by Isabel's ideas and carried forward with the assistance of skilled professionals by me to bring these ideas to fruition. Support of the National Trust is a major commitment for both of us. Thank you. Peter and Isabel on behalf of all of us at the National Trust and those who hold preservation dear. Thank you for your exceptional commitment to preservation causes and exemplary display of the impact individuals can have on protecting and stewarding historic places into the future. We've been joining you today at a historic site that's part of the extensive portfolio of historic resources that Peter and Isabel Melkin have helped restore. This is the Grand Picture Gallery a beautiful testament to 19th century gothic revival architecture. Originally built as a library it was expanded as a picture gallery in the mid 19th century when the mansion was expanded and here in the state bedroom you can see the restoration of the decorative stenciling on the ceiling refurbishment of the plaster walls reinstatement of historic furnishings and restoration of the beautiful stained glass Tiffany window. All of these amazing projects and many more have helped to expand the stories that are told at Lindhurst. We so appreciate your attention and energy in celebrating and honoring these remarkable stewards of our shared rich cultural history. We're grateful to have the opportunity to come together and pay tribute to the visionary people interpreting protecting and preserving America's historic places from coast to coast. Thank you again and good night.