North New Portland Church Recognized with 2009 Maine Preservation Honor Award

Maine Preservation Recognizes Ten Projects and Individuals for the Restoration and Revitalization of Historic Properties throughout Maine

May 21, 2009 Maine Preservation recognized ten projects and individuals for the restoration and revitalization of historic properties throughout Maine at the Maine Irish Heritage Center in Portland on Thursday May, 21.

A ceremony and following reception honored individuals, organizations and projects that exemplify great achievement and best practices in historic preservation in Maine. The Honor Awards Ceremony featured before and after color visuals of the recognized projects.

The 2009 Maine Preservation Honor Awards recognized property owners, architects, contractors, special craftsmen and others connected to the restoration and rehabilitation of the Fiddler’s Reach Fog Signal in Arrowsic, North New Portland Community Church, the American Lighthouse Foundation of Rockland for Cape Elizabeth and Pemaquid Point Lighthouses, the City of Portland for the Congress Street Historic District in Portland, Lockwood-Hathaway Mill in Waterville, Captain S.C. Blanchard House, 317 Main Street in Yarmouth, Captain George W. Robinson House in Thomaston and Bangor Opera House. In addition Maine Preservation is recognizing Kristin Dillon and the late Deborah Pulliam with individual awards.

Fiddler’s Reach Fog Signal, a historic navigational aid on the north bank of the Kennebec River on Arrowsic Island, has been carefully restored by volunteers of the Range Light Keepers for the Fiddler’s Reach Fog Signal. Structural rehabilitation of the Fog Signal’s stone pier and replacement of sills, joists, roof frame and 10X10 beam began in 2007, and work in 2008 focused on the exterior and finishes including a new copper roof.

North New Portland Community Church, a neoclassic meetinghouse constructed in 1867, was carefully restored by its congregation with the support of the Steeples Project at the Maine Community Foundation. The church’s foundation was secured, the steeple and tower restored and the bell and carriage removed from the structure to be restored and later replaced.

American Lighthouse Foundation, a national nonprofit based in Rockland, leased Cape Elizabeth and Pemaquid Point Lighthouses from the United States Coast Guard for preservation, education and public access purposes and has recently restored both properties. For both projects, failing cement was removed down to the hard substrate, new cement closely matching the original was applied and the structures were primed and recoated with paint.

On April 15, 2009 Portland City Council unanimously designated Congress Street Historic District, Portland’s core central business district. This designation was developed by staff members Deb Andrews and Scott Hanson and recommended by the Portland Historic Preservation Board and Portland Planning Board. Its unanimous passage by Portland City Council recognizes the strategy of economic development through historic preservation and brings the total of historic districts in Portland to 8.

Lockwood-Hathaway Mill in Waterville, constructed in the late 1860s, has been rehabilitated by developers Paul Boghossian and Tom Niemann as 67 loft apartments and 130,000 square feet of office and retail space. This project has helped boost revitalization efforts in Waterville.

Captain S.C. Blanchard House in Yarmouth, an Italianate house built in 1855, has been rehabilitated by Peter Milliken as the 317 Main Street Community Center. This rehabilitation, which is eligible for a historic rehabilitation tax credit has provided a heavily used community venue for music lessons and presentations.

The Greek Revival-style Cape, Captain George W. Robinson House, in Thomaston was built in 1838 and has been exceptionally preserved over the last 179 years. The current owners, Olof and Eve Anderson, have completely restored the interior and exterior of the house. They also constructed a remarkable exact 1/12 scale model dollhouse of the structure for their youngest granddaughter that can be viewed online at http://www.historichomeinminiature.com/.

Bangor Opera House, constructed in 1919-20, has been restored to its original glory over the last three years. The façade was repaired and repointed, the sash windows restored, the front doors replaced with mahogany doors, and a new marquee fabricated replicating the original.

Kristin Dillon, a high school junior, researched and documented 63 historic buildings in Exeter for her community service project to receive a Girl Scout Gold Award. She photographed the properties, compiled them in an album for the town, created a display board of select properties and made commemorative plaques with the buildings’ dates and names.

Deborah Pulliam (posthumous) generously and anonymously donated over the last two decades to historic preservation in Maine and other projects. She created the Belvedere Fund for Historic Preservation at Maine Community Foundation, which emphasizes Downeast Maine, and provides help throughout the state to worthy projects. This program has also helped Maine Preservation establish a Preservation Field Representative program to assist preservation projects statewide.

The 2009 Maine Preservation Honor Awards were hosted at the Maine Irish Heritage Center in Portland. This edifice, originally St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, was completed in 1893. The former church is now home to the Maine Irish Heritage Center and provides a space for education programs and community events as well as houses Maine’s Irish Genealogical Center and Library. In 2006 the church’s 3,320 pound bell broke free from the belfry and crashed through the two floors below. Since the crash the MIHC has worked with Consigli Construction Co, TTL Architects and Becker Engineering to restore the tower and building as a vital community center.

Maine Preservation is a statewide member-based historic preservation organization dedicated to promoting the preservation and vitality of historic places in Maine.

For further information on the 2009 awards with photographs and past awards, visit http://www.mainepreservation.com/2009MainePreservationHonorAwards.htm