Preservation conference coming to Bangor

BANGOR – An estimated 250 historic preservation enthusiasts will converge here this month for Maine Preservation’s annual conference.

The two-day event, set for May 11 and 12, is held in a different Maine community each year, Maine Preservation Executive Director Roxanne Eflin said last week.

Conference organizers decided to return to Bangor, which last was host to the conference in 1988, because 2007 marks the 30th anniversary of the federal Historic Tax Credit program.

Though few people know it, the Bangor House was the first project in the nation to take advantage of federal historic preservation tax credits, Eflin said.

“In fact, a really awesome historic photo of the Bangor House [appears] on the cover of ‘The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings.'”

The photo shows the red brick Bangor House circa 1880 during its heyday as one of the city’s grand hotels, Eflin said, long before it was converted to a housing complex for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Eflin said the federal government has printed more than 1 million copies of the 188-page guide used all over the country.

“Bangor was also the first municipality in Maine to have a [historic] preservation ordinance,” Eflin said.

“This is going to be one of the most exciting conferences that we’ve ever had,” Eflin said. “We are going to be in Bangor as sort of a laboratory” to see how quality preservation projects come to be.

Maine Preservation Vice President Andrea Burns, conference committee chairman, agreed.

“This is the most comprehensive preservation conference we have ever sponsored,” Burns said. “We are bringing together a broad cross-section of this state’s most pressing preservation issues and answers.”

“There is something of interest for absolutely everyone,” she said. “This is the place to learn new ways to capitalize on your heritage in order to boost your local economy, your local sense of pride and protect the quality places that define the Maine brand.”

The conference opens Friday morning at the Bangor Opera House with a keynote address by Sally Oldham and Lisa Sasser, two of the nation’s most experienced professionals in their respective fields.

Oldham is president of Oldham Historic Properties, a Portland consulting firm specializing in the areas of historic preservation and scenic conservation policies and practices. Sasser is a founding member, and current president, of Preservation Trades Network.

Earle Shettleworth Jr., director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, will join local experts Deborah Thompson and Dan Wellington to present “The Bangor Story.”

At noon, buses will take attendees to the historic Bangor Theological Seminary for a buffet lunch and seven afternoon concurrent educational sessions. Topics will include easements, “green” buildings, heritage education, tourism and downtown revitalization, fundraising and the business of preservation for tradespeople.

A 5 p.m. reception will precede the 10th annual Statewide Preservation Honor Awards at historic Society Hall at 33 State St.

New this year, “Preservation After Hours” will follow at the Seadog Brewing Co. This event includes a buffet dinner and “3-minute open microphone” spots for sharing preservation success stories or asking for help.

Saturday is tour day. Five tours are planned of historic homes, churches and steeples, parks and urban green spaces, and Bangor’s industrial heritage, featuring the Bangor Waterworks reuse project and the historic Thomas Hill Standpipe.

Also new this year is an accredited three-hour training program for real estate professionals conducted by Les Fossel of Restoration Resources and co-sponsored by the Center for Real Estate Education.

An interactive walking tour of downtown Bangor’s preservation projects – including some of the state’s most successful rehabilitation tax credits projects – also can be taken Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

Secure online registration and full conference details are available at www.mainepreservation.org or by calling Maine Preservation at 775-3652 to request a conference brochure or to register.