Tag: Gloucester Historical Commission

Historical Commission 2019 Gloucester Preservation Awards | Ceremony May 19th at Cape Ann Museum

Posted on by Catherine
Cape Ann museum exterior_20181219_ c ryan.jpg
Gloucester Historical Commission annual awards ceremony takes place at Cape Ann Museum

The 2019 Gloucester Preservation Awards
Press Release from the Gloucester Historical Commission

The Gloucester Historical Commission invites the public to attend the annual 2019 Preservation Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 19, 2 to 4 pm at the Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant St. in Gloucester. The event features a slide show of winning projects and comments by recipients.

May is National Historic Preservation Month, and each year the Historical Commission recognizes outstanding cultural heritage preservation, restoration, and education projects.

This year’s award recipients are:

Bryan Melanson – Restoration & Rehabilitation, for his cooperation and responsiveness as a developer to historic preservation on the Back Shore.

Ross Burton & Lanesville Community Center – Restoration & Rehabilitation, for their reconstruction of Virginia Lee Burton’s writing cottage.

Lillian Olmsted – Stewardship, for her research and vigilance as a citizen seeking to preserve the historic character of her neighborhood.

Magnolia Historical Society – Adaptive Reuse, for the rehabilitation of the Blynman School as their headquarters and a local history museum.

Bernadette Fendrock & Alan D’Andrea– Restoration & Rehabilitation, for restoration of an architecturally significant house at 24 Beach Rd.

1623 Studios – Education & Outreach, for their programming on the history and historic preservation of Gloucester and Cape Ann.

Manship Artists Residency + Studios – Adaptive Reuse, for their rehabilitation of the Paul Manship estate as working space for artists and sculptors.

James Ryan – Preserving Gloucester History, for his annotated hand-drawn maps of Cape Ann’s granite quarries and neighborhoods.

Richard & Kathy Clark – Stewardship, for their faithful volunteer efforts on the restoration of the Civil War-era Clark Cemetery.

Annisquam Yacht Club – Restoration and Rehabilitation, for their extensive rehabilitation of a historically significant recreational facility.

Meetinghouse Foundation – Education and Outreach, for its cultural programs and collaborative preservation of a historic church building.

Appreciation Award for Individual Lifetime Achievement– To be announced.

Certificates are awarded based on the following criteria:
Preserved neighborhood history through research, writing, or art

  • Preserved a property that is historically significant in age, style, or use.
  • Restored using traditional materials or methods.
  • Preserved historical integrity or appearance.
  • Protected from present threat or future harm.
  • Completed project within the past two years.
  • Accomplished by individual, family, group, or company, or through community advocacy or fundraising

Award categories include the following.

  • Archaeology
  • Adaptive reuse
  • Stewardship
  • Education and outreach
  • Landscape preservation
  • Restoration and rehabilitation
  • Local preservationist
  • Individual lifetime achievement
  • Documentation of Gloucester’s history

Before Dogtown was Dogtown: Archaeological Survey project to be presented at City Hall November 29! Maybe hello blueberries bye bye Lyme Disease

Posted on by Catherine

Old tree Rockport Road ca.1892

Dogtown is eligible for the National Register! Will Gloucester earn another major district designation?

Nov 29th, 7PM, Public Meeting

Come to a special public presentation November 29th in Kyrouz Auditorium in Gloucester City Hall, 9 Dale Avenue, at 7pm.

Read excerpts from the press release shared by Bill Remsen, local project coordinator, and Mary Ellen Lepionka, co-chair Gloucester Historical Commission, and some Dogtown maps and memorabilia 1633-1961:

Continue reading “Before Dogtown was Dogtown: Archaeological Survey project to be presented at City Hall November 29! Maybe hello blueberries bye bye Lyme Disease” →

#GloucesterMA Good Harbor Beach Salt Island: Greenbelt in GDT & lifeguards interviewed for NBC Boston NECN news

Posted on by Catherine

Salt Island, Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, MA, is for sale. Unimproved and undeveloped, Salt Island is a natural monument, a beacon. For generations,the Island seemed as free as the air and sea, the beaches and shore. All were welcome at the right tide– daily the beach and island are connected. There’s an innate understanding that visitors need to respect the natural property much as they would when visiting a national park. Yet Salt Island is owned privately; it’s simply left wild and public.

Yearly taxes were paid by the family. The City provided yearly services; for instance lifeguards to help stranded visitors, unaware of the tides.

Is it possible to compensate the owner in the most advantageous way (some combination of sale, waiving estate taxes, credit for donation) to clear up any future ownership confusion and protect the means of public access, minus vague qualifiers (“left open as resources allow”) or increasing any necessary costs? Land steward organizations sometimes sell property or limit access, laws and environment change, funds for care deplete. Is there a common sense path that considers Salt Island as Good Harbor Beach– it’s attached daily– and accorded the same balance of care that the beach has legally maintained since the 1920s?

NBC Boston Rob Michaelson report on Salt Island sale

above – Lifeguards have a summer suggestion in the VIDEO link For Sale in Mass: A $750K Island Packed With History. “This small island in Gloucester, Massachusetts has hosted a major salt theft, a lobstering hermit and a Hollywood production.” by Rob Michaelson for NECN NBC Boston

above- photos of Good Harbor Beach lifeguards moving a signature chair after a morning conditioning training session that involved swimming and running the length of Good Harbor Beach,  twice. Foggy drizzle, low tide connection to Salt Island

below– link to Coalition Aims to Buy Salt Island: Greenbelt Negotiating Bid for Save Our Shores, by Ray Lamont Gloucester Daily Times

coalition aims to buy salt island GDT Ray Lamont Oct 3 2017

infinite moods of Salt Island

GMG post about Salt Island includes a historic timeline and links to prior ‘for sale’ stories published by Cape Ann Beacon and Boston Globe

A new roof on Middle Street! State awards Sargent House Museum emergency grant through City of Gloucester

Posted on by Catherine

Mayor Romeo Theken is pleased to announce that the State’s MA Historical Commission has awarded a $50,000 emergency grant to the Sargent House Museum through the City of Gloucester. The museum is replacing the entire roof.

Sargent House Museum http://sargenthouse.org/

(BEFORE photos, August 2017)

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SUPER EXCITING NEWS: OUR CHARLES AND GEORGE KING RECEIVING THE GLOUCESTER HISTORICAL COMMISSION AWARD TOMORROW (SATURDAY) AT THE CAPE ANN MUSEUM!!!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

George and Charles write,

Hi Everybody!

We are so, so happy to write about two special awards for the Albert Bacheler Gloucester Civil War coat. On April 13th, we received the YMCA MAYOR’S YOUTH EXEMPLARY AWARD from Mayor Romeo Theken at the 2nd Annual Community Awards. The Mayor gave an awesome speech and we felt truly honored to be included. There was a giant reception at Cruiseport including a delicious breakfast. We were presented with a great plaque from the YMCA and a Senate Citation from Senator Tarr. It’s cool to receive such an award from the YMCA because their mantra is exactly the same as Albert Bacheler’s: give kids a good opportunity to learn, have fun and be active. Also he cared a lot about character. The photos we are sharing are from Mayor Romeo Theken and were taken by Ashley Snell for the YMCA event that day.

The second award is from the GLOUCESTER HISTORICAL COMMISSION. It will be taking place tomorrow May 6 2017 at Cape Ann Museum. Please come to celebrate with us and see the presentations. There are many interesting projects being awarded. It’s going to be fun!

 

Here is what they sent us:

The Gloucester Historical Commission invites the public to attend the annual 2017 Preservation Awards ceremony on Saturday, May 6, 2 to 4 pm at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester.

May is National Historic Preservation Month, and each year the Commission recognizes outstanding cultural heritage preservation, restoration, and education projects, based on the following criteria.

Preserved neighborhood history through research, writing, or art
Preserved a property that is historically significant in age, style, or use.
Restored using traditional materials or methods.
Preserved historical integrity or appearance.
Protected from present threat or future harm.
Completed project within the past two years.
Accomplished by individual, family, group, or community advocacy or fundraising

Award categories include the following.

Archaeology
Adaptive reuse
Stewardship
Education and outreach
Landscape preservation
Restoration and rehabilitation
Local preservationist
Individual lifetime achievement
Documentation of Gloucester’s history

This year’s award recipients are:

Joseph Napolitano: Lifetime Achievement as a preservation contractor.

Sarah Dunlap: Lifetime Achievement as volunteer City archivist.

Harold Burnham: Local Preservationist, for his achievements in historic shipbuilding.

Marietta Delahunt: Stewardship of the historic Sargent-Robinson House.

Charles and George King: Local preservationists, for their work on the Civil War coat.

Mariana Vaida: Rehabilitation and Restoration of 567 Essex Ave. by a preservation architect.

Gloucester Writers Center: Stewardship of the Maud/Olson Library in E. Gloucester.

Bing McGilvray: Education and Outreach, for his work on Cape Ann art history.

Captain Ray Bates: Education and Outreach, for his book on Cape Ann shipwrecks.

Christine & Paul Lundberg: Rehabilitation and Restoration of their Annisquam historic home.

Melanie & Mark Murray-Brown: Rehabilitation and Restoration of the Amos-Rackliffe House.

John & Betty Erkkila: Documentation of Gloucester History, for their book on Lanesville.

At the ceremony, members of the Commission will introduce recipients and present award certificates. Slides will be shown, and recipients will talk briefly about their projects. This event will take place on Saturday, May 6th, 2 to 4 pm in the Cape Ann Museum at 27 Pleasant St., Gloucester, Massachusetts.