Historic Wilmington Foundation seeking nominees for Preservation Awards

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Historic Wilmington Foundation is looking to recognize homeowners, businesses and contractors that work to preserve the city’s history at its annual Preservation Awards in May.

Nominated properties must be more than fifty years old, and projects must be completed from May 1, 2022, to May 1, 2023. HWF will honor recipients at the ceremony on May 18 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at Thalian Hall.

The awards fall into the following four categories:

• Adaptive reuse: A building that is preserved through a new use that maximizes the retention of distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships. The judging criteria are the National Park Service Standards for Preservation.
• Rehabilitation: A building that is repaired and/or altered while preserving those portions or features that convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values; features may include, but are not limited to, porch columns, siding, balustrades, windows, and stairs. The judging criteria are the National Park Service Standards for Rehabilitation
• Restoration: A building that accurately reflects the form, features, and character of the building as it appeared at a particular period of time by replacing missing elements, removing later elements, and limiting modern upgrades required. The judging criteria are the National Park Service Standards for Restoration.
• Appropriate new construction: New construction that maintains a ‘visual distinction between old and new while maintaining respect for the character, mass, and materials of the adjacent historic buildings.’ The judging criteria are the Wilmington Historic Districts and Landmarks Design Standard 4.2 for new residential construction or standard 5.4 for new commercial construction.

“We look forward to celebrating Preservation Month by acknowledging preservation successes in our community,” HWF Executive Director Travis Gilbert said.

Completed applications must be received by April 21 and only electronic applications are accepted. For more information and to submit a nominee, visit HWF’s website here.

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