New Awards Honor Preservation Work in Richmond, Va.(Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News)

Oct. 1--An organization dedicated to saving old properties in Richmond is doing something new.

The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods, known as ACORN, will present its first Golden Hammer Awards next week.

The awards are designed to honor the efforts made in preserving Richmond's older properties, said Jennie Knapp, interim executive director of ACORN.

She said there are thousands -- more than 7,500 by her group's count -- of vacant properties in Richmond, many of them blighted beyond repair.

The 2-year-old group is forming the annual awards presentation now because "It's just so important that we call attention to good work when we see it," Knapp said. "We …