Restoring Pride in Culture: The Burger-Matthews House

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Location: 105-107 Henry Street, Kingston, NY

Client/Company: TRANSART & Cultural Services, Inc.

Role: Owner, Donor, Co-Founder, and Project Developer. 

I purchased this local landmark property in 2005 for $1 from the City of Kingston to prevent its demolition.  New York has since designated it for the State and National Register as an unusually elaborate example of vernacular Victorian architecture. This building sits in Kingston’s poorest neighborhood and has suffered many years of neglect and vandalism. Prior to donating the property to TRANSART, the region’s only African-

American cultural organization, I retained a $240,000 grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and have since helped raise an additional $300,000 toward the $1.2 million capital campaign goal. We are now partnering with the City on an NEA grant proposal to lead the increase of diversity in cultural programming throughout Kingston.