A Year-End Letter From League President Jay DiLorenzo

Dear Friends,

I hope this letter finds you well. It’s that time of year when we reach out to our closest friends — like you — and ask for you to renew your support for the League. But before I get to that, I want to share an especially heartwarming story about a young couple who have undertaken an ambitious preservation project.

Devin and Briana Mahoney standing in front of the Uptown Theatre in Utica.

For Utica native Devin Mahoney, the Uptown Theatre was an important part of his childhood. It meant nights out with family and friends watching great films. It sparked his love for screenwriting, improv, and comedy — and inspired his career.

In 2017, Devin and his wife Briana, L.A. residents at the time, were visiting his hometown. He was walking on Genesee Street, Utica’s main drag, when he saw the beloved Uptown — vacant, dark, and in utter disrepair. He was devastated. Could this theatre, which held so many wonderful memories, be saved?

Devin and Briana envisioned a new life for the Uptown. A space for community members to learn, create, and perform. They turned to friends in the entertainment industry for help. And help arrived in the form of donations, ideas, and lots of sweat equity.

The League jumped in to help too, with two grants to guide the building’s restoration.

“We set out to save the Uptown’s place in local history and collective memory,” says Devin. “We tapped into an organic shared vision of growth and change.”

Today, Genesee Street is home to galleries and restaurants and a growing arts scene. And at the center of it all is the historic Uptown Theatre, whose doors are open once again.

You are an important part of this story. Your support makes it possible for us to help people like Devin and Briana realize their dreams.

Through your commitment to the League, you show every day that you care about special historic places. And on your behalf, the staff is working hard to save them from demolition, neglect, and insensitive development. We are here to help people envision a new life for old buildings. To restore beloved historic landmarks and protect rural landscapes. To breathe new life into struggling communities.

And that’s thanks to you.

So back to my “ask.” I invite you to renew your support by clicking here to make your year-end gift. I hope you will be as generous as you can by making a gift that is meaningful to you. With your gift, you will be helping even more projects like the Uptown. I would be exceedingly grateful to you, and so will people like Devin and Briana.

Very truly yours,

Jay DiLorenzo, President

P.S. Your generous support breathes renewed life into neighborhoods like Genesee Street in Utica. Thanks for everything you do to revitalize the places across New York State we all love.