Home to the second-largest historic district in New York State, Newburgh is set to celebrate its rich tapestry of architecture, preservation, and history the weekend of October 6-8, 2023. Archtober Newburgh is a new city festival with a delightful array of over 20 programs, including architectural walking tours, a kids’ scavenger hunt, preservation grant workshops, a short film series and much more.

Drawing inspiration from the Center for Architecture’s Archtober - a well-established festival in New York City - Archtober Newburgh coincides with Newburgh’s 50th Anniversary of the East End Historic District. The Fullerton, a Newburgh-based non-profit, is spearheading this exciting lineup of events aimed at honoring our shared cultural treasures, raising awareness about their significance, and engaging a broader audience in neighborhood preservation efforts.

Highlights of the weekend include the commission of a porch “pavilion” to serve as a hub for programs and events on a vacant lot at 15 South Johnston Street, adjacent to a building shell. This commission was made possible by an open call funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation. Judged by a community committee, the winning entry of the open call and the designer of the porch pavilion is architect Joshua Jow. In addition to the pavilion, a series of free, public workshops includes:

• A Historic Tax Credits workshop by New York State Historic Preservation Office

• A presentation about Sacred Sites grants for safeguarding historic church properties by the New York Landmarks Conservancy

• Two hands-on demonstrations by Hudson Valley House Parts on Lead Abatement and Brick Repointing

• A film screening of The Sixth Section, which documents the immigrant labor experience in Newburgh.

• A presentation on Latino culture and preservation by architect Enrique Silvia

• An exploration of using technology like Urban Archive or Minecraft to amplify historic collections

• A Look! Mira! Architectural Scavenger Hunt of Newburgh for the young and the young at heart.

See roster of events on this page and at thefullerton.org/events

More events are planned throughout the month organized by local organizations including Newburgh Free Library, Newburgh Preservation Association and Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands.

Archtober Newburgh is sponsored by AIA Westchester Hudson Valley. The weekend offers up to 12 AIA credits for architects to fulfill their annual continuing education credits.

This festival also marks the culmination of The Fullerton’s Building Shells: Building Community project. This project seeks to address the issue of vacant properties in Newburgh, specifically focusing on building shells, or structures that lack a floor plate and/or roof. In 2015, Pace University Law reported approximately 700 vacant properties in Newburgh. Since then, through the dedicated efforts of non-profit organizations and a thriving economic climate, the number of vacant properties has decreased to around 200 with a total of 32 of them being building shells that remain at risk of demolition.

Previous initiatives undertaken by the Building Shells: Building Community project include field research, the creation of a community toolkit, interactive workshops, clean up days and architectural walking tours.

This commendable effort is being led by Naomi Hersson-Ringskog and Liz McEnaney, board members of The Fullerton, both of whom bring diverse experiences in presenting art in alternative spaces. Naomi co-founded No Longer Empty in NYC, while Liz served as the Executive Director of the SS Columbia Project.

For more information about Archtober Newburgh and a detailed event schedule and possible rain venue, please visit The Fullerton’s website: thefullerton.org.