A crowd celebrates the Hampton Town Clock

Last Tuesday night, we brushed the dirt off our shoulders and attended the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance Honor Awards Ceremony. The Northwood Congregational Church, Canterbury Shaker Village and Hampton Town Clock received awards. As David Ford, a former PTF employee and current property manager at Canterbury Shaker Village, accepted the award for restoring the Trustee’s Building, I was reminded of how good preservation is defined by collaboration. I am no longer inspired solely by a building and its history; it is the community that comes together through preservation that keeps us going. Karen Payne, President of the Effingham Preservation Society, said it best, “We’ve been preserving Effingham ‘one slice of pie at a time’ and while we were baking and sharing…and baking…we built camaraderie and community.”

Hampton and Northwood were projects that were defined by the group of committed individuals who worked together to save a piece of history that was personally meaningful. As David Adams, another winner, remarked, these collaborations are not always easy and without conflict. He said, “there were times the client hated me.” But we feel fortunate that we are able to work with people who are passionate about their projects. Working together as a group, with our conflicts and our successes, we become part of a building’s history. We are grateful to have participated in these projects and are grateful to the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance for bringing us all together to celebrate our successes. Read the stories of this year’s honor awards winners on their blog.