2024 Connecticut Preservation Grants Awarded
Macon, Georgia
16 recipients in 15 towns receive funding
The 1772 Foundation, partnering for a fourteenth year with Preservation Connecticut, awarded historic preservation one-for-one matching grants totaling $134,000 to sixteen private nonprofit organizations maintaining historic sites in Connecticut. The grants ranged in amount from $2,500 to the grant maximum of $10,000, which eight organizations received.
Grants were provided for exterior work: painting; surface restoration; fire detection/security systems; repairs to/restoration of chimneys, porches, roofs, and windows; repairs to foundations and sills; and masonry repointing. Preservation Connecticut staff with an in-depth knowledge of Connecticut's heritage organizations reviewed applications, made site visits to evaluate the projects, and will manage the grants.
Ethiel Garlington, executive director of The 1772 Foundation, recalled, “Our founder, Stewart Barney Kean, fell in love with historic preservation through the act of restoration. He appreciated the materials and workmanship of historic buildings. More importantly, he recognized the value of maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to ensure historic places survive for the next stewards. These grants exemplify his spirit and love of historic preservation.”
Grant recipients were Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society (Thomas Darling House, Woodbridge); Avery-Copp House Museum (Carriage House, Groton); The Center for Woodstock History (Dean Memorial Building, Woodstock); Connecticut Landmarks (PhelpsHatheway House, Suffield); Darien Historical Society (Bates Scofield House, Darien); The Farmington Historical Society (Gridley-Case Cottages, Farmington); The Haddam Historical Society (Thankful Arnold House, Haddam); The Mather Homestead Foundation (Darien); Music Mountain (Gordon Hall, Falls Village); Norfolk Foundation (Royal Arcanum Building, Norfolk); The Rockfall Foundation (Captain Benjamin Williams House, Middletown); Seabury Society for the Preservation of the Glebe House, Inc. (Woodbury); Society of the Founders of Norwich (Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop, Norwich); Webb Deane Stevens Museum (Joseph Webb House, Wethersfield); Wilton Historical Society (Lambert House, Wilton); and Windham Preservation Inc. (Windham Inn, Windham). Grants were also awarded in each of the other five New England states and in Georgia.
President of The 1772 Foundation Margaret Waldock, commenting on the importance of the matching grants, said, “These bricks and mortar grants across New England and Georgia prove that small investments can have transformational results. Our statewide partners continue to demonstrate the power of historic preservation in communities in seven states. We are in awe of their work and the work of the grantees saving these fascinating places.”