Our View: Award of Distinction for New Bedford

Editorial|The Standard Times| February 16, 2011

New Bedford — It might not have the horsepower of Boston, and it doesn’t have the mystique of the Cape, but New Bedford has what a lot of other places wish they did: authenticity.

On Tuesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named New Bedford one of the 2011 Dozen Distinctive Destinations in America.

The program chooses communities that are “unique and lovingly preserved” in an effort to promote heritage tourism.

Few cities or towns of any size can match New Bedford, of course.

From the city’s preservation office to the Waterfront Historic Area League (W.H.A.L.E>) and the city’s Office of Economic Development, New Bedford has long recognized the value of historic preservation and its role not only in attracting new businesses and residents but in maintaining the close bonds of community among people who treasure their history.

Our collective history is not only in the Whaling Museum or the National Park…

For the full article, click here.

Peddocks Island is home to an abandoned fort, but it will soon be renewed for public use

By Andrew Ryan|The Boston Globe| February 20, 2011

Hull — A ghost town haunts Peddocks Island.

Branches have sprouted from chimneys. Ovens in a boarded-up bakery have sat cold for decades. And thieves have stolen parts of the wood floor from the basketball court in the gymnasium.

Assailed by ocean wind and scavenged by vandals, this abandoned red-brick village was once Fort Andrews, a handsome century-old military complex with a rich history in a far corner of Boston Harbor.

Battalions of troops trained here for World War I. Thousands of Italian soldiers knew it as a prisoner of war camp during World War II that allowed weekend passes to the North End for home-cooked food and romance with local girls. It even functioned as a backdrop for Martin Scorsese’s 2010 film “Shutter Island”.

To preserve what remains of this fort…

For the full article, click here.

Michael Pagano, AIA, president of Lamoureux Pagano Associates in Worcester recently blogged on Preservation Nation about the impact the restoration of the Hanover Theatre has had on its community. Lamoureux Pagano was the architectural firm that oversaw the restoration of this Worcester gem that received a National Preservation Award from the National Trust in October.

Check out the blog and video on Preservation Nation today!

Get acquainted with the resources on Preservation Massachusetts 2010 Most Endangered List. Visit our YouTube page and watch the 2010 MER video and see incredible images and learn about these incredible yet threatened resources.

Click here to watch the video and don’t forget to subscribe to PM’s channel on YouTube!

It looks as though the end is near for the Priest Williams House at 69 Dudley-Oxford Road in Dudley. This circa 1780 Federal-style house was the residence of Abiel “Priest” Williams, who was a minister in Dudley for 32 years. According to the Historical Commission, this wood-frame house was “once one of the most magnificent dwellings in Federalist Dudley.” The home had been vacant and neglected for nearly a decade before the present owners purchased it last October for $40,000. The new owners applied for a demolition permit, triggering Dudley’s demolition delay ordinance.

After inspecting the house with Circuit Rider Michele Barker last November, Historical Commissioners Ed Bazinet and Michael Braniff concluded that the house was remarkably sound, despite years of neglect. Mr. Bazinet and Mr. Braniff found the massive stone foundation and central chimney base one of the most impressive they’ve seen in town, and noted that much of the original interior trim remains intact. Even some of the original 12-over-12 windows have survived. The Historical Commission invoked a 12-month demolition delay in November 2009.

Since then, Dudley’s Historical Commission has been working tirelessly to find solutions for the Williams House before the clock runs out. Preservation Massachusetts listed it as one of the state’s Most Endangered Resources this past fall, in the hopes that the publicity might attract a new owner. The listing did bring the house to the attention of a potential buyer interested in relocating the building, but unfortunately, the cost of the project exceeded his budget.

The demolition delay expired last November. The owners are willing to sell the house for $1 to anyone who will relocate it, but unless a white-hat rescuer appears on the scene, it looks as though the Williams House will be gone as soon as the weather permits.

If there are any last-minute rescuers out there, please contact Ed Bazinet or Michael Braniff of the Dudley Historical Commission at 508-949-8004

Click here to read a Worcester Telegram-Gazette article about the house.

Find more photos of the Priest Williams House on Preservation Massachusetts’ Flickr site