On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Maine Preservation announced the winners of the 2019 Honor Awards, celebrating outstanding examples of historic preservation and revitalization statewide and recognizing the owners, professionals, preservationists and partners who make them possible.

The 2019 Honor Awards, held in front of 160 attendees at Portland Country Club in Falmouth, recognized 12 projects, plus Renys Inc. for its commitment to Maine’s downtowns and the Isle Au Haut Lighthouse Swimmers for their innovative approach to fundraising for preservation.

“Taking vacant and underutilized historic buildings and adaptively using and updating them is an essential ingredient for community revitalization and vitality,” said Maine Preservation Executive Director Greg Paxton. “When completed these buildings lift the economics of the areas around them and the spirits of the citizens benefiting from them. These projects recall the history of their surrounds and our predecessors that built and used them, while preparing the buildings to meet current needs. And these well-built buildings can be feasibly rehabilitated, economically operated and energy efficient. Maine Preservation is pleased to recognize these people and projects and the many benefits to Maine they provide.”

Edgecomb’s Merry Barn is one of the 2019 Honor Award recipients! The Merry Barn has a rich history in Midcoast Maine. Built in the early 20th century for the Merrys, a family of shipbuilders and captains. The barn is an impressive 2,200 square feet with several handsome neo-classical features, including a cupola and front-facing pediment. The barn was passed down through the generations of until it was sold to Howie Davison. Howie converted this cheery, yellow barn into a popular dance hall in the mid-1950s. Crowds as large as 600 individuals, traveling from as far away as Lewiston, would pack into the barn for dancing - mainly square dancing with Howie doing the calling - transforming the structure into a genuine community landmark. The dance hall closed in the 1970s and since then the barn has had several different owners and uses including, notably, as a workshop for McSwain’s steeplejack business. The barn was very well-built and has been lovingly maintained by all its stewards.

In 2015, Stephanie McSherry bought the barn with the dream of opening a literacy center in the space. Four years later, after a successful adaptive use rehabilitation project, Merry Barn Writers’ Retreat & Educational Consulting, LLC opened its doors. Some highlights of the project to convert the barn for use as a literacy center include making the basement and first floor handicapped accessible, installing a well and septic system, and adding plumbing and bathrooms - increasing the utility of the building. Staircases were rebuilt to be code complaint, structural upgrades to the floor framing were completed to reinforce the space, partition walls were added for a first-floor classroom, and kitchen and heating and cooling systems were upgraded.
All work on the structure was executed with care so as to not disrupt the historic integrity of the barn. This care is evident when looking at the exterior of the barn which remains much the same as it did when the barn was converted into the dance hall over 60 years ago. On the interior, the wood flooring and wooden beam support-system were preserved.

Community support has been overwhelming. Past owners of the barn, including the Davisons, Ellinwoods, and McSwains, have been involved in the project and supportive of its mission.

The Merry Barn Writers' Retreat officially opened on June 29 and is now hosting events for children and the community. People routinely stop by the barn to share their stories and express their gratitude that the barn has been brought back to life as a significant community gathering space.

Full list of winners: Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. Preservation Champion – Renys Inc.; Spirit of Preservation Award – Alison Richardson & Molly Siegel, Isle Au Haut Lighthouse Swimmers; Augusta, Hartford Fire Station; Biddeford, 17 Alfred Street; Bridgton, Webb House Rufus Porter Museum; Hallowell, Stevens Hall, Maine Industrial School for Girls; South Paris, Mildred M. Fox School; Portland, Jose Block, 80 Exchange Street; Portland, Butler School & Payson House; Portland, The Sawyer Building, 2-6 Exchange St. / 395-399 Fore St.; Saco, Notre Dame de Lourdes / Cutts Avenue Apartments; Surry, Old Surry Village Schoolhouse; Yarmouth, Grand Trunk Railroad Depot.

More detailed information on the 2019 Honor Awards winners, including citation, video presentation, and images of the projects are available www.mainepreservation.org/honor-awards.

Maine Preservation is the independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit member-based statewide historic preservation organization, that promotes and preserves historic places, buildings, downtowns and neighborhoods, strengthening the cultural and economic vitality of Maine communities.