HISTORIC HOUSE TRUST OF NEW YORK CITY INC
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
At a ceremony at Gracie Mansion in 1989, Mayor Ed Koch, recognizing that New York City could be a better caretake for the historic houses in its hands, announced with the City’s Parks Commissioner Henry Stern the creation of the Historic House Trust of New York City, a private organization that would share with the City the care of these houses. The establishment of this new public/private partnership came at an opportune time for 15 – and eventually 23 – historic houses that the New York Times described then as “an extraordinary collection of clapboard-sided, shingle-roofed and stone-faced dwellings dating from the 1600's.” Under the direction of our Board, Directors’ Council and staff, the organization has continued to serve as a provider of expertise and resources to the houses, and worked in tandem with the Parks facilitate over $85 million in capital improvements.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Historic Building Conservation and Property Management
HHT’s main effort is ensuring the successful preservation of the irreplaceable historic houses in its care. HHT’s Director of Historic Houses consults on and manages restoration projects at the sites for large scale capital projects. Our Project Development Coordinator of Historic Houses handles our smaller repair projects.
Organizational Development Support
Once the buildings are stabilized, HHT provides resources to the leadership at the houses to help them operate efficiently. Community-based nonprofit organizations, with budgets ranging from $42,000 to $2.9 million annually, operate the historic houses as museums. HHT works to strengthen these organizations through annual financial support and capacity building opportunities including Board Governance workshops, quarterly roundtable meetings with House Directors, and oversight on strategic planning and fiscal management. There are over 600 volunteer Board members involved in the stewardship of HHT and its member houses.
Community Engagement
With the buildings secure, HHT works to increase the relevance and visibility of the individual sites and to promote visitation to the collection as a whole. Through city-wide events and programs, HHT oversees activities that encourage public engagement in local communities and invite visitors to explore the City’s history. HHT actively updates its lively Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages and has expanded its community engagement through multilingual publications and audio tours. Through its Roof Raisers Brigade and Intern program, community members can volunteer their time and talents with HHT and its houses. Currently, there are over one thousand volunteers involved with the 23 member sites.
Education and Public Programs
In December 2010, The New York Community Trust generously awarded a grant of $100,000 to the Historic House Trust to fund the development of a series of signature education programs at its historic houses. In 2012, HHT worked with the substantial majority of its sites to develop these programs and successfully launched eight of them. Thanks to the support of The New York Community Trust, to date over 25,000 people in all five boroughs have had the chance to experience New York City and its history in exciting ways—whether through the lens of a pinhole camera, with
a bilingual audioguide, by planting and cultivating vegetables, in an online Revolutionary War game, and through other interactive educational initiatives.
Roof Raisers Curatorial Brigade
To help protect and conserve the collections of the houses for the enjoyment of future audiences, HHT provides curatorial assistance to the sites in its collection through a group of trained volunteers called the Roof Raisers. Many HHT member sites lack the resources to employ a curator; the HHT Curator fills this void by providing curatorial expertise and resources to staff and volunteers at the houses. Currently, HHT assists in the preservation and interpretation of over 90,000 house collections and artifacts. From a fragment of General Lafayette’s sash at Kingsland Homestead to a piano music book used by the Tredwell sisters at the Merchant’s House Museum to
a collar worn by Rufus King’s dog, HHT provides support for these collections and enables the houses to introduce their visitors to the stories told by these diverse objects.
Where we work
Awards
Lucy G. Moses Award for a Preservation Organization 2010
New York Landmarks Conservancy
The Award for Excellence 2010
Greater Hudson Heritage Network
Award of Merit 2012
Museumwise
Lucy G. Moses Award for a Preservation Organization 2011
New York Landmarks Conservancy
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of entities served by expertise
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Historic Building Conservation and Property Management
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The Historic House Trust of New York City advocates for, promotes, and provides expertise to preserve 23 publicly owned historic sites. This number has grown from 15 since our founding in 1989.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Roof Raisers Curatorial Brigade
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The Roof Raisers Curatorial Brigade trains and deploys highly trained volunteers to HHT's member houses to assist with a range of collections tasks such as preventive maintenance and inventorying.
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Roof Raisers Curatorial Brigade
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
HHT’s volunteer Roof Raisers Curatorial Brigade provide collections management support to partner historic houses. Volunteer opportunities slowed in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Number of donors retained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Organizational Development Support
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
HHT has a loyal base of members and annual supporters. With technology upgrades and increased staff capacity, we hope to improve engagement for increased donor retention.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
HHT believes in the importance of preserving New York City’s historic houses and the value of promoting the social and architectural history of the City through its residences. To address the restoration needs that threaten these landmarks, HHT exists to provide support to the houses in its collection through preservation projects and capacity building efforts. Advocating for the historic houses as a unified collection, HHT strives to provide programs, services and community engagement initiatives that strengthen each house individually and equally benefit the houses as a whole.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
HHT meets it mission by providing programs and services through five key program areas:
Historic Building Conservation and Property Management: HHT’s main effort is ensuring the successful preservation of the irreplaceable historic houses in its care. HHT’s Architectural Conservator consults on and manages restoration projects at the sites ranging from small repairs to large-scale capital projects. HHT’s dedicated Preservation Crew also undertakes small restoration projects at the sites to stave off larger architectural issues.
Organizational Development Support: Once the buildings are stabilized, HHT provides resources to the leadership at the houses to help them operate efficiently. Community-based nonprofit organizations, with budgets ranging from $42,000 to $2.9 million annually, operate the historic houses as museums. HHT works to strengthen these organizations through annual financial support and capacity building opportunities including Board Governance workshops, monthly meetings with House Directors, and oversight on strategic planning and fiscal management.
Community Engagement: With the buildings secure, HHT works to increase the relevance and visibility of the individual sites and to promote visitation to the collection as a whole. Through citywide events and programs, HHT oversees activities that encourage public engagement in local communities and invite visitors to explore the City’s history. HHT actively updates its lively Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages and has expanded its community engagement through multilingual publications and descriptive audio tours for visitors with visual impairments. Through its Roof Raisers Brigade and Edward I. Koch Intern and Fellow program, community members can volunteer their time and talents with HHT and its houses. Currently, there are over one thousand volunteers involved with the 23 member sites.
Education and Public Programs: HHT works with the houses to enhance their programs and set priorities. In recent years, HHT completed an exciting education initiative funded by the New York Community Trust by launching signature education programs at eight houses, reaching over 25,000 students. HHT has also launched programs based on forward-thinking ideas for historic house management. These include tactics designed to heighten the visitor experience and encourage connections to the site.
Diverse Material Culture: To help protect and conserve the collections of the houses for the enjoyment of future audiences, HHT provides curatorial assistance to the sites. Many HHT member sites lack the resources to employ a curator; the HHT Curator fills this void by providing curatorial expertise and resources to staff and volunteers at the houses. Currently, HHT assists in the preservation and interpretation of over 90,000 house collections and artifacts.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The dedicated and knowledgeable Board & Staff at the Historic House Trust team fuel the organization's capabilities to meet its mission and provide comprehensive programs and services. Examples include:
• community partnerships, museum exhibition and museum studies
• material culture and collections management
• cultural geography and community mapping
• historic preservation policy and planning, government relations
• visionary historic site leadership, site-specific contemporary art installations at historic houses and strong fiscal oversight
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The historic house museums in HHT's collection are the heart and soul of their communities, and provide a window into the lives of all New Yorkers, past and present. HHT and our dedicated supporters have come together in this challenging time to help save New York City's history. In the past year, HHT has:
● Provided nearly $100,000 in direct financial support to our partner historic sites
● Held regular crisis meetings for museum staff to brainstorm solutions to shared problems
● Ensured that the sites and their collections were secure during NYC's closure
● Launched HHT online, a portal for virtual exploration of the houses
● Audited all 23 sites for physical accessibility
● Assisted the sites in reopening to the public
● Sustained critical services like essential maintenance and restoration
● Created infrastructure for working remotely
● Protected the jobs and well-being of our staff
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
HISTORIC HOUSE TRUST OF NEW YORK CITY INC
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Ms. Lisa Ackerman
Columbus Citizens Foundation
Term: 2018 -
Lisa Ackerman
Executive Director, Columbus Citizens Foundation
Myra Biblowit
President, Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Franny Eberhart
Retired Preservation Professional
Richard Southwick
Byer Blinder Belle Architects
Suzanne Stirn Ainslie
Community Volunteer
Therese Braddick
Deputy Comm. for Capital Projects NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation
Theodore Hammer
Principal and Director of Architecture, Mancini Duffy
Paul Provost
Principal, Provost & Associates
Renee Ring
Retired, Attorney
Gary Ross
Retired, Time Warner
David Stutzman
Seward and Sissel, LLP
Wanda Chin
Chief Credit Officer Community Preservation Co.
Scott Sanders
VP Consolidated Edison
Cynthia Wainwright
Founder HHT
Nicole Vartanian
Executive Director East Asian Inst. -Columbia Univ.
Christopher Shyer
President-Zyloware Co.
Catherine Bradley
Executive Director- Baseball Tomorrow Fund
Diana Chapin
Former Commissioner Landmarks Preservation Commission NYC
Kevin Dieterich
VP Estee Lauder
Michael Goldblum
Landmarks Preservation Commission Bronx Rep.
Shirley Hackel
Real Estate Professional-Compass Realty
Theresa Osborne
Retired, Former Director of Culture and Tourism
Jonathan Kuhn
Ex-Officio
Gonzalo Casals
Commissioner, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs
John Gustafsson
Retired Attorney
Mitchell Silver
Commissioner, NYC Parks Dept.
Linda Yowell
Linda Yowell Architects
Betty Cohen
Francesca Romano
Corporate Philanthropy, Bloomberg LP
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Not applicable -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/19/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.