Architectural Heritage Foundation

We think that the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant program is one of the best out there. Restaurants are the backbone of our communities, and play a huge role in economic development and historic preservation. Happy to see our friends at Comfort Kitchen Boston represented here this year!

There’s no question that the city of Boston has a liquor license problem. The strict cap on licenses available means that they have become extremely expensive and increasingly difficult to procure, and nearly impossible for small businesses. Shirley Leung at The Boston Globe took a closer look at how some developers, landlords, and restauranteurs are finding creative solutions within the system. Read on for more...

Congratulations to all the Preservation Massachusetts Award winners! This year’s Lifetime of Preservation theme celebrates the individuals and organizations that have made long-term substantial contributions to historic preservation across the Commonwealth. Celebrate the award winners this Friday, June 28 at the Massachusetts State House, followed by a reception Carrie Nation Cocktail Club. Vote for the People’s Choice Awards through 6/27! https://lnkd.in/esp_YD8

Voting is now open for our 2024 People's Preservation Choice Award! Meet the eight (8) nominees and vote for your favorite: https://buff.ly/3d2knrF Voting closes at 12:00 noon on Thursday, June 27. The winner will be announced at the annual Preservation Awards event at the Massachusetts State House, Great Hall, on FRIDAY, JUNE 28. Advanced ticket purchase required (no ticket sales on site). Learn about all of the 2024 awardees + get event details online: https://lnkd.in/esp_YD8 #peopleschoice #historicpreservation #preservationmonth #historicpreservationmonth #preservationawards

We're closing out our Preservation Month tour of DCR's Historic Curatorship Program properties, by sharing a few new opportunities. DCR is currently looking for curators at Beartown State Park (Monterey) in the Berkshires, at Lake Wyola (Shutesbury) in the Pioneer Valley, an administration building along the Neponset River in Milton, and at Bullard Farm on the banks of the Stearns Reservoir in Framingham. These are unique places that require creative ideas and a lot of enthusiasm and energy. Know someone who loves a historic building and a big juicy challenge? Pass this along! As curators of the Charles River Speedway, we have learned so much about partnering with DCR over the years. Happy to share what we know! https://lnkd.in/eyrU58Ws

We're always interested in learning more about what's going on, development-wise, in the Allston/Brighton neighborhood. (In case you aren't aware - there's a LOT of action these days.) This piece from Commonwealth Magazine/MassINC shares a really fascinating update about Harvard's Beacon Park Yard. https://lnkd.in/eRJbnwFJ

This Preservation Month, we are celebrating 30 years of @MassDCR’s Historic Curatorship Program! Next up on our tour through some of our favorite curatorship properties across the Commonwealth - the Superintendent’s House in Wachusett Mountain State Reservation! Built as an office and residence for the State Reservation’s first Superintendent, Guy Chase, this is one of the first buildings built by the fledgling state park agency in 1903. Without a core use, the building sat vacant for 30+ years. DCR continued to invest in the stabilization of the house, but an active reuse was needed to reconnect the property with the public. In 2018, the Curators signed a 40-year lease to fully rehabilitate, maintain, and manage the house and garage as a bakery, cafe, and community gathering place. Today, Mountainside Bakery and Cafe serves as a destination for hikers and day trippers looking for a good meal and a place to rest. Visit mountainsidebakerycafe.com to learn more - and plan your next hike!

May is Preservation Month! The National Trust for Historic Preservation has set this year’s theme as “People Saving Places” and for us, there is no better way to do that than to put the spotlight on DCR's Historic Curatorship Program, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. With this program, DCR partners with Curators who rehabilitate, manage and maintain unused, historic properties in return for a long-term lease. In doing so, DCR secures the long-term preservation of threatened historic sites for the public's benefit, and Curators exchange an investment and their hard work and unique skills for the opportunity to live or work in a one-of-a-kind location. Here at AHF, we salute all the Curators and we thank DCR for spearheading such an effective and ground-breaking program. As the National Trust says: “historic place-savers pour their time, energy, resources (and sometimes a great deal of sweat and tears) into protecting places they care about.” Throughout the month, we will highlight a few of our favorite properties to shed a bit of light on this ground-breaking historic preservation program.

AHF had the pleasure of touring the historic Manor House at Elm Bank on a recent early spring day. Massachusetts Horticultural Society Executive Director, James Hearsum, showed us around their famous gardens and talked about his big (BIG!) future plans for the site, including the 1907 Cheney-Baltzell mansion. While the mansion faces many challenges and a hefty renovation price tag, the quality and condition of the building are compelling for adaptive re-use. We are eager to be helpful in getting this iconic structure's doors open again. Have you visited? If not, make a plan! The Garden at Elm Bank is now officially open for the spring season. 

Grant alert! Pioneer Valley Planning Commission has launched their Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants program for preservation projects in Western Mass. Expressions of interest are due on April 12. AHF is thrilled to see this grant opportunity come to the Commonwealth. This is a big deal for historic preservation in Massachusetts! https://lnkd.in/e4MvFzid