The Maine Preservation Honor Awards this year recognized 16 projects from around the state, including the Unity Food Hub, in Unity. Maine Preservation honored contractors, architects, property owners and others Nov. 18 at the Portland Country Club in Falmouth, citing their achievements and best practices.

The annual Maine Preservation Honor Awards celebrate excellence in historic preservation leadership, rehabilitation and craft. Since 1998, Maine Preservation has recognized historic preservation successes across Maine and acknowledged the people that make them happen.

Each of the recognized projects helped to fulfill community needs while providing a boost to the economy and the real estate industry throughout the state. Since 2008, 70 privately developed projects have injected more $350 million into the state’s construction economy through the use of Maine Historic Preservation tax credits. Ten projects honored this year used these credits.

THE HONOREES FOR 2015 are:

Former Hallowell Granite Works Office, Hallowell
The former Hallowell Granite Works Office, built ca. 1830, and its neighbor are all that remain of Hallowell’s once-extensive granite complex. The current owners, Jim Duncklee and Ken Nott, bought the property in 2013 to relocate their business to downtown Hallowell. 

Silver Street Tavern Building, Waterville
Formerly known as the Milliken Block, the Silver Street Tavern located at the corner of Maine and Silver streets, was commissioned by Waterville National Bank in 1877 and designed by architect Moses C. Foster. In the early 20th century, O.J. Giguere purchased the building to house his clothing and footwear store. In 2011, Charles Giguere (not related to O.J.) bought the property at auction and made use of federal and state Historic Tax Credits to rehabilitate the vacant upper floors into offices and housing. Along with his project team – including SD Construction, Sutherland Conservation & Consulting, Kico Tasalaqua, and Mark McDonough – Giguere restored all existing doors and trim for reuse, and retained and reused historic architectural details.   

Powers Hall, University of Maine, Machias
The University of Maine, Machias traces its history to 1910 when the Washington State Normal School began training elementary school teachers for jobs throughout eastern Maine. In 1937, over 500 people attended the formal opening of a new administrative and classroom building, Powers Hall. Nearly eighty years later, however, Powers Hall suffered from the effects of age and moisture infiltration, resulting in significant spalling of the soft brick and damage to the decoration of the entry portico. The project faced many challenges including the detection of PCBs, which required abatement.  

Eastport Post Office, Eastport
Originally the Eastport Customs House, the building now known as the Eastport Post Office was constructed in 1891 in the Italianate style. It was one of 26 buildings constructed after a fire decimated the town’s commercial district. The post office is a contributing building in the Eastport Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. 

Kora Temple, Lewiston
Kora Temple in Lewiston was built in 1908 for the Kora Shrine, a fraternal and charitable organization established in 1891. Designed by architect and Shrine member George M. Coombs, the building reflects Moorish and Exotic Revival architectural styles. The temple was added to the National Register in 1975.  

Campbell Barn, Augusta
The timber-framed Campbell Barn, built in 1903, was the last of a series of buildings designed for the Augusta Mental Health Institute. Unused since the 1950s, Campbell Barn had fallen into disrepair. Without a clear vision for its future, no funding was available to maintain or restore the barn.  But, as a result of renewed interest in State-owned space, the East Campus of the Augusta Mental Health Institute became a hub of increased construction and restoration. During this process, it became clear that there was a need for additional storage to house field equipment and supplies for state agencies. And this encouraged the Maine Bureau of General Services to revitalize the historic Campbell Barn.  

Hanscom Hall, Gould Academy, Bethel
Established in 1836, Gould Academy is a coed college preparatory school, located in Bethel. Hanscom Hall, the fifth major addition to Gould Academy, opened in 1934. The twenty-first-century educational practices drove alterations to the first two levels of the structure. Beginning in 2012, a hardworking design committee strove to craft a bold new vision for the hall. Alumni identified building features that were most important to them, and current students and faculty joined the design process. Recognizing the historical value of the facility, an emphasis was placed on preserving, repurposing, or replicating original building materials. 

Coles Tower, Bowdoin College, Brunswick
Coles Tower is an iconic symbol of the social change that transformed Bowdoin College and other schools in the 1960s and 1970s. Prominent architect Hugh Stubbins designed the sixteen-story building -- Maine’s tallest at the time of its completion in 1964. Unfortunately, over time the façade developed cracking mortar joints, spalling limestone windowsills, broken lintels, damaged bricks, and general leaking of the inset balconies. Bowdoin College saw the 50th anniversary of Coles Tower as an opportunity to provide updated residential space for students while restoring the significant mid-century modern building to its original appearance. Logistical challenges stemming from the exterior geometry required careful planning to access the hard-to-reach exteriors. This included engineering roof tie-offs for swing staging to access soffits of the inset windows. Boom and scissor lifts were needed to complete brick repair, the patching of limestone windowsills and the deteriorated concrete soffits. 

Nathan Clifford Residences, Portland
John Calvin Stevens designed the classical revival-style Nathan Clifford School in 1907-09. The school served as an anchor of the Oakdale neighborhood for over 100 years but closed to much controversy in 2011. Developers Collaborative purchased the vacant and deteriorating building in 2013 to create a residential complex with one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The auditorium was converted into apartment space, and architectural trim, doors, cabinets, chalkboards, and corridors were preserved. 116 wooden windows took the place of inoperable aluminum windows and 18 historic windows in the stairways were repaired. The total cost of the project was $7 million, and benefited from federal and state historic tax credits. 

Unity Food Hub, Unity
The three-room Unity Village School, built in 1898, once boasted more than 160 students. But in 1953, the town erected a new and larger elementary school across the street. The building then remained vacant for six decades, and fell into serious disrepair. The brick foundation deteriorated, causing damage to interior features. In 2013, recognizing the potential of the vacant rural schoolhouse, Maine Farmland Trust bought the building as a home for the Unity Food Hub. State and federal historic tax credits were used to help make the project financially viable. Many original interior features such as the beadboard walls, wainscoting and ceilings, hardwood floors, and molded window and door trim were retained.  State and federal historic tax credits were used to help make the project financially viable. Many original interior features such as the beadboard walls, wainscoting and ceilings, hardwood floors, and molded window and door trim were retained. Thanks to the vision and tireless efforts of Maine Farmland Trust, Unity Food Hub General Manager Matt Tremblay, Amanda Austin of 2A Architects LLC, Sutherland Conservation & Consulting, Ganneston Construction, Gartley & Dorsky Engineering and Credere Associates LLC, the Food Hub now functions as a space for local gatherings, food workshops, community activities and local farmers to meet and distribute produce. The once-abandoned school has become a vibrant shared space that, today, enhances the community, while reminding visitors of treasured traditions from Maine’s rural past.

Cony Flatiron Apartments, Augusta
Located on the Cony Circle in Augusta, Cony High School was completed in 1932. Designed in the Colonial Revival style by Bunker & Savage, the school was unusual for its curved front entrance and signature flat iron- shape. In 1984, the school was renovated and many of the original windows were removed and infilled with brick. Cony High School was added to the National Register in 1988 and used as a high school until 2006 when it became vacant. In a dramatic transformation initiated in 2013 by Housing Initiatives of New England Corporation, the old Cony High School became Cony Flatiron Senior Residence, a sparkling complex with 48 units of housing for the elderly. Federal and Maine state tax credits were essential to the project’s success. 

Saco Firehouse Lofts, Saco
The Saco Central Fire Station was constructed in 1939 with financial assistance from the Public Works Administration, which underwrote construction of public buildings by private construction companies. The station served as the central fire station until 2011 when it was replaced by a modern fire station at another site. The Saco City Council voted to demolish the historic station just weeks before Maine Preservation listed the station on its 2012 Most Endangered List. Fortunately, Housing Initiatives of New England purchased the building to rehabilitate it for a completely new use. The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 2013 which made the building eligible for federal and state historic tax credits.  

The Press Hotel, Portland
The tapestry brick and stone Gannett Building, located in Portland’s historic Old Port, was constructed in 1923 and enlarged in 1947 as offices and the printing plant for the Portland Press Herald, Maine’s largest newspaper. It served as its headquarters until 2010, when the Press Herald moved to another location. In 2012, developer Jim Brady put the building under contract and announced plans to open the city’s first independent boutique hotel. Aptly named The Press Hotel, it retains many original architectural details, including vintage exterior lettering and the newspaper’s ‘City Room’ now repurposed as the Inkwell Bar.  Many artifacts here have also been preserved, including a scale used for weighing the huge rolls of newsprint, and the original staircases and banisters. Rehabilitation was completed and the LEED certified building opened to the public in May 2015. 

The Mill at Dover-Foxcroft, Dover-Foxcroft
Foxcroft Mill is located on the west side of the Piscataquis River in downtown Dover-Foxcroft. The mill complex comprises seven buildings and three structures that represent types, styles, and methods of construction used for mill buildings in Maine between 1840 and 1940. The mill was an economic engine for the Dover-Foxcroft community for 163 years. But operations ceased in 2007, and the American Woolen Company abandoned the mill. The challenging economic climate, combined with the destitute state of the mill, posed significant obstacles to a revitalization and adaptive use. The total renovation of the 110,000-square-foot complex by Arnold Development included extensive structural repairs across a variety of building types and materials—from roofing, sandblasting, and historic window replacement to detailed interior finishes. The Mill at Dover- Foxcroft represents the largest private investment in Piscataquis County in decades, and is an excellent example of a public-private collaboration, with team members including Arnold Development, 

Saco Island Apartments, Saco
The center portion of the York Engine/Boiler House was built in 1880 to supply power to the mill buildings in the York Manufacturing Company complex. Continued expansion of the mill paralleled enlargement of the Boiler/Engine House in the early 20th century.  The York Manufacturing Company profited during WWI, but by the time the stock market crashed in 1929, the looms had ceased production under the original management. The company was acquired by several different entities before the last occupants left the building in 1985. 

Inn at Diamond Cove, Great Diamond Island, Portland
The establishment of the US Army’s Fort McKinley on Great Diamond Island was part of larger effort by the government to provide strategic harbor defenses throughout the country at the end of the 19th century. The 200 acres on the northern half of the island comprised the largest of four Maine coastal forts. As modern weaponry made existing harbor defenses obsolete, the government dissolved the Coast Artillery and abandoned the forts. Fort McKinley passed through several owners before David Bateman acquired the entire property in 1984 and began the effort to revitalize the fort into a resort community, building by building.  

David H. Bateman: Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. Preservation Champion Award
Earle Shettleworth presented the first Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. Preservation Champion Award to David H. Bateman of Bateman Partners, recognizing a remarkable 38-year record of development projects, primarily in Maine that have invested more than $100 million in our state’s economy and have resulted in quality commercial and residential properties that have benefited thousands of Mainers. Bateman was one of the first Maine developers to use federal and later state historic rehabilitation tax credits. Through his efforts, several significant landmarks in Southern Maine have been saved and given new purpose. Extending from the late 1970s to the present, this impressive list includes the Summer Street Block in Biddeford, Safford House in Portland, Baxter Library in Portland, and Cummings Mill in South Berwick.