The Empire State Building glows in blue and white to celebrate launch of Partners in Preservation. Image used with permission from ESBC.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced today the names of 40 New York City historic buildings, icons, and landmarks that will compete in the next month for $3 million in preservation grants.

The interior garden of the Japan Society in Manhattan.

Grants will be distributed by Partners in Preservation, a program in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awards preservation grants to historic places across the country. Of the 40 historic places vying for funding, one is a garden, several others possess outdoor or indoor garden spaces, and one is an urban farm.

Urban Gardens will be covering three of these sites which have gardens and farm land: The Japan Society in Manhattan, The Queens County Farm Museum, and the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

The garden at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens.

Vote For Your Favorites!
From April 26 to May 21, 2012, anyone 13 years of age and older, anywhere in the world can vote online–either from a web-enabled mobile device, online, or on Facebook–for one of the 40 historic New York City places. Local residents and others across the country are encouraged to vote once a day (but can vote every day) for the same site or for a different site.

The farmhouse at the Queens County Farm Museum. 

Four Winners To Be Announced May 22
The top four sites receiving the most votes will be announced on May 22. Each will receive their full grant request–up to $250,000–and the balance of the $3 million pot will be distributed among the remaining sites.

New York City is the seventh metropolitan area to be selected to participate in Partners in Preservation and receive funding from American Express. Since 2006, $6.5 million has been awarded to preservation projects in the following locations: San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Seattle, and Saint Paul/Minneapolis.
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Follow our upcoming features of The Japan Society in Manhattan, The Queens County Farm Museum, and the Louis Armstrong House Museum. And don’t forget to vote here!