2019 N.H. Preservation in Review
Eagle Pond Farm in Wilmot, which served as the homeplace and muse for poets Donald Hall and Jane Kenyon, was purchased by preservationists Lynne Emerson Monroe and Frank Whittemore this year to buy time to plan for its future, - and added to Seven to Save.
We helped more community project leaders, homeowners, barn owners and other investors save old places in 2019 than we ever have before. We’re so excited about the projects that got moving, gained momentum and were completed this year. Our connections to special places seem especially important in fast-moving, uncertain times. All of this great preservation work is possible thanks to members and donors like you, our incredible statewide network of preservation practitioners, organizational partners and civic leaders.
Here’s a snapshot of Preservation Alliance work with special places:
$237,000. That’s the amount of money the Preservation Alliance was granted to redistribute in the form of block grants after we and our partners in Maine, Vermont, and New York received an award from Northern Border Regional Commission. Matching grants will be made in 2020.
The Preservation Alliance was also allocated $100,000 to distribute to nonprofits who care for historic buildings, in partnership with the 1772 Foundation. Matching grants will be made in 2020.
We granted 16 Condition Assessment Grants, of up to $4,500 in matching funds, thanks to a block grant through LCHIP. These reports assess the condition of a historic building, provide cost estimates, outline phases for rehabilitation, and help unlock larger grant asks from LCHIP, among others.
2019's pool included 2 libraries, 5 churches/meetinghouses, and 4 town halls. The pool also included Seven to Save properties, Grafton Center Meetinghouse, Lee Parish House, and 2 grange halls - in Swanzey and Stratford.
On the smaller side, we granted 5 Mini Grants, which were used to assess smaller buildings or garner a second opinion from a preservation professional. Some of these grants are made possible through the Richard and Duffy Monahon Fund. This included Seven to Save Glencliff Willing Workers Hall.
The Preservation Alliance helped with other project progress too:
10 more barns received barn assessment grants and today, more than 567 barns in 96 communities are enrolled in RSA 79-D, the barn tax incentive program.
New towns to the program include Andover, Canaan, Danville, Goshen, Newmarket, and Stratford.
The leading towns? Freedom at 21, followed by Sandwich at 20, Deerfield at 19, and Plainfield at 18.
2 new heritage commissions started up this year, in Kensington and Hampton. And 3 new towns passed the downtown tax incentive, RSA 79-E: Troy, Francestown, and Loudon.
1 new historic district commission. Prompted by a demolition permit filed for St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, a group of residents in Laconia banded together and advocated for the creation of the district, a tool that had been recommended in studies since the 1980s.
More ways we helped save special places and increase awareness of preservation in New Hampshire:
We welcomed approximately 200 attendees to this year’s Preservation Conference in Littleton, about 50% who were first timers.
Attendees learned about alternative ownership models for general stores, climate change, and fundraising. Our keynote speaker, Tom Mayes from the National Trust, spoke about why old places matter in new ways.
At the conference, we awarded 10 preservation achievement awards. They include a former GAR Hall in Peterborough converted into a brewpub, restoration of a metal truss bridge in Stewartstown, and recognition of Terry Knowles, the state’s effective, longtime and recently retired Assistant Director of Charitable Trusts.
We continued to capture our state through our Instagram page. This year, we posted 61 photos of NH landmarks - from pools in Bethlehem to barns in Pittsburg.
Seven to Save announcement in Danbury. Photo: Steve Booth Photography.
We added 7 new resources to our Seven to Save list at our October announcement in Danbury. The sold out event included tours of local landmarks and a chicken pie supper hosted by the Blazing Star Grange.
We added 3 more preservation easements: two in Kensington and one in Stratham. These easements permanently protect character-defining features of the houses, while also allowing them to be lived in.
22, 879. Miles driven by Preservation Alliance staff to visit with people like you and help save and revive places we can’t imagine New Hampshire without.
We can’t wait to do more in 2020!