Newburyport Preservation Week - 2012 Preservation Awards Ceremony and Waterfront Retrospective Panel

Preservation Award Ceremony and Waterfront Retrospective Panel 

Nominations have been received and awardsvoted! Join the closing event, Sunday, May 20th for the Newburyport Preservation Trust Week and celebrate outstanding individuals for their contributions toward protecting and preserving Newburyport’s historic character and buildings.

The award ceremony and panel discussion will be held at the Custom House Maritime Museum, 25 Water Street, on Sunday, May 20, 2012 from 4:30 - 6:00 pm.  Full reception follows.

2012 Newburyport Preservation Trust Preservation Awards will recognize winners in categories such as: Stewardship; Exterior Restoration; Interior Restoration; Sensitive Addition to a Historic Structure; Historic Landscape Restoration; Historic Sensitive Contractor/Builder; and Sustainable Historic Structure.

William R. Harris, founder of the Friends of the Newburyport Waterfront will moderate a panel discussion with five key Newburyport experts as they discuss how the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority partially demolished, then preserved the downtown.

“We’ll discuss the good, the bad and the ugly,” says Bill Harris.  “Many buildings were protected, but without a strong plan we may lose those buildings we’ve worked so hard to save.  The panel will focus on what happened in the past and how goals have changed over time that impact historic preservation.”

Speakers include:

• Paul J. McGinley -  Former Executive Director of the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority from 1970-1973
• Joseph H. Brown - Former Chairman of the Harbor Commission, current member Newburyport Waterfront Trust
• James G. Shanley -  Chairman, Newburyport Redevelopment Authority
• Joanne C. Purinton - Founder of Friends of the Newburyport Waterfront, Realtor, Fundraiser
• Ronald Lee Fleming, FAICP -  Executive Producer of "A Measure of Change," a documentary about urban design and historic preservation in Newburyport.  He is also President of the Townscape Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.   

Newburyport celebrates and commemorates historic preservation and Newburyport's Waterfront  during the sixth annual Newburyport Preservation Week, May 16 through May 20, 2012. Activities spanning five days will feature something for all ages and interests, including a walking tour and musket firing, expert panel discussion and rediscovered Newburyport’s wharves, the connection between the Newburyport Powder House, the waterfront and preparation for the War of 1812, historic photo slide shows and films, and the annual Historic Preservation Awards. Activities are open to the public and most are free. For more information, visit www.nbptpreservationtrust.org.