Partners in Preservation spread the wealth

The Partners in Preservation program, a joint venture of American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will spread its $1M in grants widely around the Boston area. The Paragon Carousel won Internet voting by the public last month to snag a $100,000 preservation grant. But in a rare example of good news about arts and culture funding this year, the group will also give major funding to 11 other sites, including: $86,000 for roof, window and exterior repairs and installation of a heating system at Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury, just down the road from HubArts HQ; $100,000 to José Mateo Ballet Theatre for restoration of six original stained glass window; $100,000 to the Museum of African American History granted $100,000 to stop water infiltration through the building’s foundation; and $75,000 for structural upgrades and new finishes to the Salem Old Town Hall project. The 11 additional winners were chosen by an Advisory Committee of civic and preservation leaders plus Amex and the National Trust. Factors considered included public voting results and community support for the project, the preservation needs of the site, historic significance, project completion ability, and the role the site plays in the community. The remaining 13 competing sites get a $5,000 condolence grant. Complete press release after the jump...

Pictured: A bunch of Lowell's folks, along with Richard Moe, President, National Trust for Historic Preservation (in suit) and Wendy Nicholas, Director, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Northeast Office (bright jacket). Oh and some guy from Boston City Hall (left).

TWELVE GREATER BOSTON HISTORIC SITES WIN PRESERVATION GRANTS
American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Distribute $1 Million in Grants to Winners of the Partners in Preservation Program 

BOSTON, MA – June 16, 2009 – Today, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced at a press conference with Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of the City of Boston, a diverse group of 12 historic and culturally significant Greater Boston sites to receive grants for historic preservation projects. When the Partners in Preservation initiative launched in April, the public voted online over a five-week period for their favorite historic places from a slate of 25 candidates across the Greater Boston area to receive a portion of  $1 million being given away in preservation grants from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.     
 
On May 18, the Paragon Carousel was announced as the winner of the popular public vote, with 15 percent of all votes cast.  A grant of $100,000 will be given to the Paragon Carousel to replace the doors and restore the windows to their original splendor; the funding will also go to update the safety measures of this popular summer icon.
 
The eleven additional historic sites, announced today, were chosen by an Advisory Committee comprised of civic and preservation leaders from the Greater Boston area, as well as representatives from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  Factors that were considered in the selection process included public voting results and community support for the project, the preservation needs of the site, historic significance, project completion ability, and the role the site plays in the community.  
 
The additional 11 American Express Partners in Preservation 2009 award winners are:

• Crane Estate: granted $50,000 for restoration of the walls and terraced staircase of the Bowling Green
• Edgell Memorial Library: granted $100,000 for restoration of the original windows and installation of new storm windows
• Eliot Congregational Church of Roxbury: granted $75,000 for structural roof repairs
• José Mateo Ballet Theatre: granted $100,000 for restoration of six original stained glass windows
• Lowell’s Boat Shop: granted $86,200 for roof, window and exterior repairs, as well as the installation of a heating system
• Museum of African American History: granted $100,000 to stop water infiltration through the building’s foundation
• Old North Church: granted $18,000 to repair and strengthen the storied steeple
• Perkins School for the Blind: granted $60,000 for restoration of the natural pond
• Salem Old Town Hall: granted $75,000 for structural upgrades and new finishes
• United First Parish Church, “Church of the Presidents”: granted $80,000 for restoration of the bell tower and public corridor leading to the Adams crypt
• Vilna Shul: granted $90,800 to uncover, preserve and display a hidden mural
  

In addition, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the remaining thirteen sites participating in the initiative by granting them each $5,000 in preservation funding.  These grant recipients include: Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts; Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House; Mount Auburn Cemetery; National Monument to the Forefathers; New England Aquarium; Norfolk County Agricultural High School Dairy Barn; Norfolk Grange Hall; Old Ship Meeting House; Paul Revere House; Schooner Adventure; St. Joseph’s High School, Coalition for a Better Acre; St. Peter’s Church; and Villa Victoria Center for the Arts.
 
“Bringing the community together and helping to preserve and raise visibility for these wonderful historic places in Greater Boston is what the Partners in Preservation program is all about,” said Timothy J. McClimon, President, American Express Foundation.  “We congratulate the winners and commend all of the sites for their fantastic work, and we look forward to seeing the finished results of each preservation project.”   
     
“We are thrilled by the community support for these treasured historic places,” said Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  “Partners in Preservation has not only provided financial resources for the preservation of some of Boston’s irreplaceable sites, it has also encouraged communities to come together in support of preserving their past.  We are pleased to be able to help keep the places that tell Boston’s stories alive and standing.”  
 
To help guide American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation through the selection process, an Advisory Committee was established of twenty leaders in the Greater Boston area who have an understanding and appreciation of historic preservation and the historic places in Boston and its surrounding communities.  The Advisory Committee members are as follows:

• Deval L. Patrick – Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Honorary Co-Chair
• Thomas M. Menino – Mayor, City of Boston and Honorary Co-Chair
• Robert Beal – Partner and President, The Beal Companies
• Bruce Beckham – Executive Director, Tourism Cares
• Robyn Bell – Executive Director, Cambridge Office for Tourism
• James Carmody – Vice President and General Manager, Seaport Hotel
• Peter Christie – President and CEO, Massachusetts Restaurant Association
• Jeff Davis – General Manager, Herb Chambers Motorcars
• Ann Gund – National Trust Council Member
• James Igoe – President, Preservation Massachusetts
• Theodore Landsmark – President, Boston Architectural College
• Mary Jo Meisner – Vice President for Communications, Community Relations and Public Affairs, The Boston Foundation
• Patrick Moscaritolo – President and CEO, Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Gioia Perugini – Associate Director, Select Client Services, Hemenway & Barnes, LLP
• Marita Rivero – Vice President and General Manager, WGBH Radio and Television
• Paul Sacco – President and CEO, Massachusetts Lodging Association
• Todd Saunders – President, Interior Design Associates of Boston, Inc; Co-Owner, the Lenox Hotel and the Comfort Inn & Suites Boston-Logan Airport
• Jeffrey Senior – President, Restaurant Concepts Inc.
• Brona Simon – Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission
• Janet Marie Smith – Senior Vice President, Planning and Development, Boston Red Sox
• Betsy Wall – Executive Director, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
  

The Greater Boston area is the fourth region to host the Partners in Preservation program and receive funding from American Express, which previously supported preservation projects in San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans.  Together, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation are redefining preservation across the country through the innovative nature of the Partners in Preservation program, which is providing the resources needed to save the places that matter to us all.

About the Partners in Preservation Program
Launched in 2006, Partners in Preservation is a program in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, pledged $5.5 million over a five-year period toward preserving historic places throughout the United States.
 
In this partnership, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and to preserve America’s historic and cultural landmarks. The program also seeks to inspire long-term support from local citizens for the historic places at the heart of their communities.  

About American Express
American Express Company (www.americanexpress.com) is a leading global payments and travel company founded in 1850.
 
Historic preservation has long been the hallmark of American Express’ involvement in the community, reflecting its recognition of the contribution of sites and monuments to a sense of national and local identity and the role that their preservation can play in attracting visitors and revitalizing neighborhoods. As early as 1983, American Express launched a cause-related marketing effort that raised $1.7 million for the preservation of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. From 1996 to 2005, American Express contributed more than $10 million to help preserve 126 historic sites in 62 countries from the World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites. In June 2006, the company announced the American Express Partners in Preservation initiative, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation as its partner in the U.S. and the World Monuments Fund as its partner internationally.
 
About the National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.PreservationNation.org) is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices—including the Northeast Office in Boston—29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.