David Adams

2017 Preservation Achievement Award: David Adams for outstanding contributions to the field of historic preservation

Since he was fifteen years old, David Adams has been fascinated with 18th century construction. Upon moving to Portsmouth, he established Dodge, Adams & Roy, a pioneering firm responsible for restoring countless historic properties, including the William Pitt and Stoodley’s Taverns, the Governor John Langdon and Governor Benning Wentworth Houses, the Langley Boardman and Rundlet-May Houses, and properties at Canterbury Shaker Village.

Most recently, David embarked on re-restoring his 1743 Gates Street house, which suffered from fire damage in 2012 after thirty years of hard work. The process was captured on video in a series called The Craftsmen’s Journal, which allowed David to share with the broader public traditional carpentry skills – lessons that he has taught his dedicated followers for decades. Known in his circle as a “philosopher-king,” David encourages respect for and curiosity of our historic built environment, especially toward neglected or underappreciated buildings.

The Preservation Alliance is thankful for David Adams for his early and enduring impact on the preservation movement in Portsmouth and beyond – through civic engagement on the historic district commission, as mentor to many with his preservation construction company, and through the legacy of The Craftsmen’s Journal.

David Adams. Photo courtesy of The Craftsmen's Journal.

Adams' Gate Street House. Photo courtesy of The Craftsmen's Journal.