At its 2013 Annual Meeting, WHALE presented preservation awards to some remarkable historic preservation projects in Greater New Bedford that have been completed in the last year. Additionally, two individuals received recognition.
Andrew P. Burnes of Dartmouth, President of HallKeen Real Estate Management & Investments, was awarded the Catherine Crapo Bullard Award. Andy was honored for his long career, championing the proper preservation and adaptive reuse of many historically significant buildings in Greater New Bedford.
The Sarah Delano Preservation Awards went to five recently completed projects. This award is given to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the rehabilitation, restoration and interpretation of the historic character and environment of Greater New Bedford. Sarah Delano served as WHALE’s second President, from 1966 – 1982.
Community Action for Better Housing (CABH), an arm of Catholic Social Services of Fall River, received recognition for its rescue of the 1880s turreted James A. Tripp House at the corner of County and Allen streets in New Bedford. CABH transformed this severely deteriorated property into 12 apartments, returning it to its original glory and dramatically improving this gateway intersection into the city. The house is now renamed the Oscar Romero House, in honor of the martyred Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador.
Manomet Place at 170 Riverside Avenue in New Bedford, also known as Cliftex Lofts, was recognized, and the development team of John Keith, Owner and Contractor, WinnDevelopment and The Architectural Team were honored for their renovation of this former textile mill factory building alongside the Acushnet River. The severely dilapidated property was nearly lost to demolition but is now reborn as 76 mixed-income apartments. This development team has a strong track record of converting former industrial buildings for housing.
Timothy & Deborah Diggins won a Delano Award for restoring the 1844 home at 22 North Street in Mattapoisett. Working with Saltonstall Architects, the Diggins uncovered evidence of that the house had originally had a porch across the front. The painstakingly recreated the porch, using an early post card image and blueprints discovered behind the walls. They further restored original interior details and erected a sensitively-designed addition to the back.
Massachusetts Audubon Society won WHALE’s acclaim for the transformation of an unusual stone barn into a first-rate place for educational programs and other gatherings. When the Audubon Society acquired a farm in South Dartmouth that dates back to the 1660s, it took on the stewardship of a number of historic buildings as well as 200 acres of land. WHALE honored the Society for its thoughtful and imaginative reuse of a former agricultural building.
Westport’s Town Farm was ‘adopted’ by The Trustees of Reservations, which received the Sarah Delano Award for its renovations of the early house and barns on the property, is reclamation of the landscape, and its efforts to enliven the place as a community resources with such activities as community garden, summer jazz concerts, harvest festivals and morning yoga.
New Bedford photographer Bob Hughes garnered WHALE’s Carol Ann Juneau Volunteer Award. They say a “picture is worth a thousand words.” Great pictures are an invaluable asset to any organization’s efforts to communicate its mission and persuade people to get behind their efforts. Bob has generously donated his time and talent in capturing for WHALE images which now grace the Home Page of our website and serve as a record of our events. Additionally, Bob has helped with special events and other activities.
This year’s Awards Committee was chaired by former WHALE President, architect Christopher “Chip” Gillespie. With Chip, Lee Blake, Bill Burns, Kristie Furrow, Regina Gaudette, John Vasconcellos and Christopher “Kit” Wise selected the award winners.
