Historic Preservation Program Awards $155,000 in Grants

The Maine Community Foundation’s Belvedere Fund for Historic Preservation, in partnership with the Maine Historic Preservation Commission’s New Century Grant Program, recently awarded 13 grants totaling $155,500 to support the preservation or restoration of historic buildings in Maine, including Lubec Landmarks, which will use the funds to stabilize and preserve McCurdy’s Herring Smokehouse.

Grant awards were also made to:

• Albany Improvement Association, Albany, for restoration work on the Albany Town House
• Buck Memorial Library, Bucksport, for repair of one of the library’s masonry walls
• Centre Street Congregational Church, Machias, for repair of the church’s clock
• City of Calais, for roof repairs on the Saint Croix #1 Fire House
• Eastport Public Library Association, for repairs to the masonry of the Peavey Memorial Library
• Friends of Liberty Hall, Machiasport, towards the completion of exterior renovations on Liberty Hall
• Henry D. Moore Parish House and Library, Steuben, for re-plastering and painting
• Opera House Arts, Stonington, for restoration of the tower of the Stonington Opera House
• Quoddy Tides Foundation, Eastport, towards the continued renovation of the Tides Institute & Museum of Art
• Sewall Memorial Congregational Church, Robbinston, for repair of the church’s stained glass windows
• The Grand Auditorium, Ellsworth, for restoration of the auditorium’s marquee.

MaineCF launched the Belvedere Fund for Historic Preservation in 2009. The Belvedere Historic Preservation Grant Program focuses on the preservation and reuse of historic buildings that serve as civic, cultural, or economic hubs for communities.

The next application deadline is September 15, 2010. For more information about the Belvedere Historic Preservation Grant Program, click here.

February 2, 2010