Preservation Maryland, in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust, is happy to announce the spring round of Heritage Fund recipients. For over 20 years the Heritage Fund, administered by Preservation Maryland, has provided vital funds for preservation projects across the state.
This round, the fund provided over $50,000 for needed repairs, research, and planning in communities large and small.
The Heritage Fund is biannual and the next round has an application deadline of September 17, 2021. Preservation Maryland also administers the Baltimore City Historic Preservation Fund. Applications for that program are due August 6, 2021. Please contact Preservation Initiatives Manager Jessica Feldt with any questions about either program.
All Hallows Episcopal Church
Planning a Guide for the Future of a Historic Church
Organization: All Hallows Episcopal Church
Type: Planning and Feasibility
Project Name: All Hallows Episcopal Church Historic Structures Report
Location: Worcester County
Description: All Hallows Episcopal Church in Snow Hill was originally completed in 1756 and still holds services to this day. They also hold numerous events for the community including meals and a regional music festival. This grant will fund a historic structure report to guide the restoration of the site which is currently facing issues such as a leaking slate roof and cracks in the exterior brick.
Funding: $7,500
Highlighting Historic Construction in Charles County
Organization: Friends of Chapman State Park
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Investigations of 19th Century Construction at Mount Aventine
Location: Charles County
Description: Mount Aventine, located in Chapman State Park is a late 19th century home listed on the National Register of Historic Place. The grant will fund a project to remove a 1950s bathroom in the bedchamber of the oldest part of the manor house which will uncover the original framing. This process will provide the opportunity for an interpretative program detailing the significance of the 19th-century construction.
Funding: $5,500
An interior shot of the Bromo Seltzer clock face, detailing preservation work being performed.
Protecting an Iconic Landmark
Organization: Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Historic Clock Tower Restoration and Preservation
Location: Baltimore City
Description: The iconic Bromo-Seltzer is one of the most recognizable buildings of Baltimore City’s skyline and houses studio and gallery space. The 1910 twenty-four-foot diameter clock inside the tower needs attention to ensure irreparable damage does not occur. This grant will help with that process by funding a thorough cleaning and inspection to abate long-term damage to the mechanisms.
Funding: $6,500
Telling the Stories of Takoma’s African-American Community
Organization: Historic Takoma
Type: Education and Research
Project Name: Stories from Takoma Park’s African American Neighborhoods
Location: Montgomery County
Description: This grant will fund work by Historic Takoma document, preserve, and elevate the story of Takoma Park’s traditional Black neighborhoods from the 1930s and 40s. This process will entail oral history interviews and documentary research examining the relationship between the Black community and the city government, focusing particularly on the period from 1940 to 1959. The oral histories will also be made into videos featuring photographs showing neighborhoods and buildings among other imagery that will be shared with local media, community groups, and schools to bring about a greater understanding of these important cultural and historical resources.
Funding: $10,000
Strategic Planning for the Future at a Local Preservation Nonprofit
Organization: Montgomery Preservation, Inc
Type: Planning and Feasibility
Project Name: Re-Imagining Montgomery Preservation
Location: Montgomery County
Description: Montgomery Preservation (MPI) has served for over 37 years as Montgomery County’s only county-wide historic preservation nonprofit. MPI works to provide assistance to the public and to smaller local nonprofits, advocacy, direct restoration efforts, and public programming among other initiatives. This grant will go towards helping fund a strategic planning effort to expand the organization’s outreach and communications, grow its capacity, and create new partnerships.
Funding: $2,000
Baldwin Hall
Repairing the Ceiling of Historic Baldwin Hall
Organization: Severn Crossroads Foundation, Inc
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Historic Baldwin Hall
Location: Anne Arundel County
Description: The Charles W. Baldwin Hall was built in 1861 as the sanctuary for the Old Severn Cross Roads Methodist-Episcopal Church. While it has made more than one move from its original location, the historic fabric of the site remains. The site is no longer an active church and now engages the local area by hosting community events and serving as a venue for rental. This grant will help support needed repairs to the ceiling over the main hall which is facing significant structural issues.
Funding: $10,000
Bringing a Piece of Garrett County History Back to Life
Organization: Town of Mountain Lake Park
Type: Bricks and Mortar
Project Name: Bethel Center
Location: Garrett County
Description: The Bethel A.M.E. Church locally served African-Americans in Oakland, Maryland, between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. This church building was moved and served agricultural purposes and now the Town of Mountain Lake Park has committed to purchase, relocate and restore the building to its original period of significance. This grant will help fund the pre-restoration work including needed consultation, architectural plans and site engineering.
Funding: $10,000