The public hearing was called to order at precisely 6:00 p.m. on February 25, 2026. By 6:09 p.m., it was closed. In the span of nine minutes, the Albion Village Board moved to dismantle a layer of government that had, for decades, served as the steward of the community’s most defining asset: its history. With a 3-0 vote (Trustee Bennett excused), the Board approved the removal of Section 173-2 from the Village Code, officially dissolving the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) (Village Board minutes, Feb. 25, 2026). The decision marked the end of a years-long struggle to keep the commission functional, but it has raised questions about how the village will manage its architectural legacy—a legacy that includes two National Register Historic Districts and a rare concentration of cobblestone architecture—without a dedicated body of experts. The motion, introduced by Trustee McMurray and seconded by Trustee Riley, was the final act in a drama that had been unfolding since the previous summer. The root cause was not a lack of interest in preservation, but a logistical collapse. The HPC, a seven-member board required by law to have four members present to establish a quorum, had found itself unable to meet (Orleans Hub, "Albion looks to disband Historic Preservation Commission"). According to reporting by the *Orleans Hub*, the commission’s inability to gather a full complement of members had real-world consequences. Without a quorum, the HPC could not legally conduct business or issue Certificates of Appropriateness. For property owners within the historic districts looking to renovate, this bureaucratic deadlock translated into stalled projects and frustration (Orleans Hub, "Albion looks to disband Historic Preservation Commission"). The writing on the wall appeared in the summer of 2025. On July 30, the Board requested that the HPC and the Village Code Officer discuss the current code and report back with recommendations (Village Board minutes, July 30, 2025). By the September 24 meeting, the path forward was clear, if controversial: the Board considered a resolution to "DISSOLVE HPC," though they tabled the item until October 22 to allow for further deliberation (Village Board minutes, Sept. 24, 2025). Before the final vote, the Board took a moment to acknowledge the human cost of the decision. During the April 14, 2025 meeting, the Board publicly thanked Mary Anne Braunbach for her years of service as HPC Chairperson (Village Board minutes, April 14, 2025). It was a recognition of the volunteer hours invested by citizens trying to uphold the village’s character, even as the structural viability of the commission crumbled around them. The shift in oversight means that the Planning Board and the Code Enforcement Officer will now assume the duties previously held by the HPC. This model mirrors the approach taken in the neighboring Village of Medina, relying on existing municipal staff to vet changes to historic structures rather than a standalone appointed board (Orleans Hub, "Albion axes Historic Preservation Commission"). The risks involved in this transition are inherent in Albion’s geography. The village is the seat of Orleans County and possesses a density of history that is arguably unmatched in Western New York for a community of its size. According to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Albion boasts 65 structures listed on the National or State Registers of Historic Places (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation). The village is anchored by two National Register Historic Districts: the Courthouse Historic District, which contains 33 significant buildings, and the North Main-Bank Street District (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation). The area is a veritable museum of 19th-century architecture, constructed in part from the region's signature Medina Sandstone—a material so prized it was used in the construction of Buckingham Palace and the New York State Capitol (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation). Furthermore, Albion serves as a central hub for cobblestone architecture. Over 90% of the remaining cobblestone buildings in America are located within 100 miles of the village (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation). The Mount Albion Cemetery, a Victorian-era landscape of soaring obelisks and rolling terraces, holds the distinction of being the first property in Orleans County listed on the National Register in 1976 (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation). The HPC was created to protect these assets. Albion became a Certified Local Government (CLG) in 2009, a status granted by the National Park Service that empowers municipalities to participate directly in federal and state preservation programs (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation). The data suggests that during the first three years of that designation, the village saw tangible economic benefits, including the launch of 11 new businesses, the creation of 25 jobs, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in private renovation investment (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation). With the HPC now dissolved, the village loses a specific mechanism designed to leverage that status. The CLG program requires a local review board, and while the Planning Board can technically fill that role, the loss of a dedicated commission of preservation advocates changes the dynamic of development review. The Board’s action resolves the immediate administrative paralysis caused by the lack of a quorum. Property owners will now turn to the Planning Board and Code Officer for approvals, streamlining a process that had become bogged down by vacancies. However, the onus is now on those existing bodies to ensure that the "quick summary" of a building permit application does not overshadow the long-term value of Albion’s historic streetscapes. As the village moves forward without a Historic Preservation Commission, the responsibility for preserving the story etched in stone and cobblestone shifts from a specialized few to the general administration of village government. The nine-minute hearing has ended, but the preservation of Albion’s physical history remains a continuing project.