We’re here to help, and so are your peers! Maine Preservation hosts virtual convenings on the first Monday of every month to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and support. The meetups are grouped by property ownership to encourage discussion and problem solving around shared challenges, stewardship strategies, and funding opportunities.

Faith communities stewarding historic houses of worship today are often responsible for the oldest and most architecturally ornate buildings in their communities. From soaring steeples to stone foundations, these historic assets can quickly become burdens. Tap into the knowledge and encouragement of fellow faith communities, whether seeking funds for a new furnace or strategizing how to welcome in more community groups to use your space.   

Register here to join the conversation.

We’re here to help, and so are your peers! Maine Preservation hosts virtual convenings on the first Monday of every month to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and support. The meetups are grouped by property ownership to encourage discussion and problem solving around shared challenges, stewardship strategies, and funding opportunities.    

Nonprofit and fraternal organizations rely heavily on a combination of donations, grants, and membership, while striking a balance to support community-focused work while keeping up with their buildings. Tap into the knowledge and encouragement of fellow Mainers, whether seeking to repair the roof on your grange hall or sharing your fundraising experience to convert a former school into an art gallery.  

Register here to join the conversation.

We’re here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance for your historic rehabilitation and stewardship efforts. This month we’ll be joined by Dan Morales-Walsh, of Maine Stone Scapes, who will help answer questions about building and repairing stone walls. Dan also serves as Vice President of the Board of The Stone Trust, a nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and advance the art and craft of dry stone walling.

Bring your questions and your curiosity! Register to join the conversation

We’re here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance for your historic rehabilitation and stewardship efforts. This month we’ll be joined by Jessica MilNeil of Preservation Timber Framing to field questions and lead discussion on historic barns. Whether along the coast, in the western mountains, or in The County, you’re sure to see a timber frame barn along the road. While barns reflect the rich agricultural heritage of the state, their declining utility and enormous size pose a great challenge to owners who wish to keep them upright. If you’ve been wondering where to start with the old barn on your property, this is the talk for you!

Jessica launched her carpentry career as a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s construction crew, and developed her skills in the Preservation Carpentry program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. Jessica found her way to Preservation Timber Framing after a Summer Fellowship in 2008 with Maine Preservation.

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We’re here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance for your historic rehabilitation and stewardship efforts. This month we’ll be joined by Mollie Cashwell, Director of the Cultural Alliance of Maine (CAM), to field questions on Referendum Question #3, which would create a $10 million grant program to support the preservation and restoration of historic community buildings. Mollie will also introduce and explain the Action Kit that CAM developed to empower communities to spread the word about the importance and impact of voting Yes on 3! CAM is the first coordinated, statewide industry alliance advancing the visibility and capacity of our diverse statewide cultural sector via collective learning, research, communications, and advocacy.

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We’re here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance for your historic rehabilitation and stewardship efforts. This month we’ll be joined by Carmen Bombeke, PE, of Gartley & Dorsky Engineering & Surveying to field questions and lead discussion on structural concerns with historic buildings, with a focus on what to expect when interacting with an engineer on your project. As Senior Engineer, Carmen has worked on countless historic properties including churches, barns, downtown buildings, houses, mills, and lighthouses, including the award-winning rehabilitation of the Mill at Freedom Falls, Unity Food Hub, and Isle au Haut Lighthouse. Carmen holds engineering degrees from both Stanford University and Columbia University, and originally hails from Tenants Harbor.

Bring your questions and your curiosity! Register to join the conversation

We’re here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance for your historic rehabilitation and stewardship efforts. This month we’ll be joined by Megan Rideout of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission (MHPC) to field questions and lead discussion on local historic preservation ordinances that can provide protections for significant buildings, neighborhoods, and sites. Historic preservation commissions or review boards can exist within town and city governments and are empowered to designate and protect historic properties as opposed to the primarily honorific listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Megan brings over ten years of experience to her role as the Review and Compliance/Certified Local Government Coordinator at MHPC, where she interacts with various federal, state, and local entities requesting review of projects under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. She also oversees Maine’s Certified Local Government (CLG) Program, which includes 11 Maine communities with local preservation ordinances that have met standards set by the National Park Service. More information on the CLG program can be found at MHPC’s website.

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We’re here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance for your historic rehabilitation and stewardship efforts. This month Brad Miller, our Director of Programs and Services, will be ready to field questions about preservation easements and how these powerful tools can protect historic properties. A preservation easement is a legal agreement entered into by a property owner to ensure the historical and architectural qualities of a property are forever protected, while permitting appropriate changes to allow for modern use. More information about preservation easements and Maine Preservation’s role as a qualified easement holding organization can be found online.

Bring your questions and your curiosity! Register to join the conversation

We’re here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month Brad Miller, our Director of Programs and Services, will be ready to field questions about our Most Endangered Historic Places List (MEHP) and how inclusion on the list may help an imperiled property in your community. The annual list is intended to boost local efforts and focus positive media attention with an aim to preserve threatened places throughout the state. In years past, the list has included barns, historic camps, drive-in movie theaters, and entire neighborhoods. The call for nominations for the 2024 MEHP list will go live following the meet-up!

Bring your questions and your curiosity! Register to join the conversation!

We are pleased to present the 2024 Old House Forum & Annual Meeting program which will discuss new ways that our colleagues are celebrating, exploring, and interrogating Maine’s history.

We’re here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month we’ll be joined by R. Michael Pullen of Bangor-based Artifex Architects & Engineers to field questions and lead discussion on compliance with fire code and other life safety regulations in historic buildings. Adapting and reusing historic buildings requires a careful balance to preserve historic character while ensuring the space is safe and accessible for modern use. As a Senior Architect at Artifex, Mike brings decades of experience rehabilitating and repurposing historic buildings and achieving compliance with building codes. In partnership with the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Mike developed Maine Codes & Preservation, an informative presentation on the intersection of building codes and historic preservation.

Bring your questions and your curiosity! Register to join the conversation!

We're here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month we’ll be joined by Guy Marshall of ReVision Energy to field questions and lead discussion on solar panels. The maintenance and reuse of existing buildings is central to the sustainability principles of historic preservation, but we can also be a bigger part of the solution by considering how renewable energy sources can be integrated into historic buildings and sites while limiting their impact of their historic integrity. Guy brings 25 years of experience in his role as a Commercial Design Specialist, working with Maine businesses and nonprofits interested in exploring solar energy options as alternatives to fossil fuels.

Bring your questions and your curiosity! Register to join the conversation!

We're here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month we’ll be joined by Tony Castro of Tony Castro & Company to field questions and lead discussion on historic plaster. Among the most versatile materials, plaster is found in older buildings and even some new construction throughout Maine and can be modelled, cast, incised, colored, stamped, and stenciled. Looking to repair your flat plaster walls and ceilings? Hoping to do right by your home’s ornamental plaster? We’ll have answers and resources for you. Tony’s focus for over 25 years has been creating and restoring decorative painting, which first requires carefully repairing the underlying plaster. His notable project include the interiors of Cumston Hall, Bowdoin Chapel, Joshua Chamberlain’s House, The Norlands, Biddeford City Theater, and First Parish Church in Yarmouth. Tony also hand painted the Maine State Seal on canvas that hangs above the entry of our State House in Augusta.

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In the wake of destructive storms we’ve recently experienced, this month’s meet-up will provide an opportunity to talk about the impacts of extreme weather on historic buildings. We will be joined by Anastasia Azenaro-Moore, an Environmental Protection Specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As a preservationist, Anastasia works with the National Historic Preservation Act to ensure historic resources are identified and considered as part of hazard mitigation projects throughout New England. She has been working in the field with FEMA for seven years at the regional and national level, including work in Puerto Rico and South Carolina. Anastasia will be ready to answer your questions about the impacts of extreme weather on historic resources and how communities across New England are preparing and adapting. She has also been out in the field for the past two weeks assessing storm damage in Maine. Anastasia is a former staff member and current Trustee of Maine Preservation, who resides in Eliot.

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We're here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month we will be joined by Cale Pickford based at the Camden office of Allen Insurance and Financial. If you’ve ever wondered whether its harder to insure an old house or curious about how to protect irreplaceable landmarks, this is your time to ask! Cale will be ready to answer your questions about insuring historic properties, both residential and commercial. When Cale is not busy with work or enjoying time with his family at their home in Lincolnville, we’re fortunate to have him serving as the President of our Board of Trustees.

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We're here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month we will be joined by Richard Irons of Maine-based Irons Restoration Masons, to answer your questions about historic chimneys, fireplaces, flues, bakeovens, beehives, and everything in between. Richard has 40+ years of experience in historic restoration and authentic reproduction of masonry chimneys and fireplaces. His work has taken him across New England, working on historic properties from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

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We're here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month we will be joined by Bo Jespersen of Augusta-based The Breathable Home, to discuss energy audits and retrofits of older homes. Bo is a certified Building Analyst 1 (energy auditor), Efficiency Maine Qualified Energy Advisor, and a state licensed Oil Limited Energy Auditor Technician.

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We're here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month we will be joined by Judson Star to discuss historic cemeteries, graveyards, and burial grounds as well as the conservation of the grave markers that dot these hallowed grounds. Judson serves as the Recording Secretary for the Maine Old Cemetery Association (MOCA) Board of Directors, is a member of the Kennebunkport Cemetery Committee, and the owner of gravestone preservation and cleaning firm Maintain the Memory. Bring your questions and your curiosity. Register to join the conversation!

Please note this month's session will not take place on the first Monday of the month

We're here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month we welcome historic building expert John Leeke to answer all your questions about historic windows! John has been restoring historic buildings across New England for more than 35 years, recording and sharing the knowledge he has acquired along the way through numerous publications and his Historic Homeworks Q&A column. Register to join the conversation!

We're here to help! Maine Preservation is hosting office hours on the first Monday of every month to provide guidance about your historic rehabilitation efforts. This month’s meetup is all about lead paint — how to test for it and how to safely remove it when working on a historic building or site. Join the conversation!