The International Society for Landscape, Place, & Material Culture annually recognizes the preservation, interpretation, instruction, celebration, or exhibition of American material culture.
The Award Committee
Jeffrey L. Durbin, Chair | jdurbin384@aol.com
James Gabbert | james_gabbert@nps.gov
Scott Roper (Conference Chair) | scott.roper@vermontstate.edu
Eligibility
Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
• Restoring, rehabilitating, or otherwise preserving an important building, site, or artifact(s) representing North American material culture;
• Providing longtime stewardship of a property or artifact;
• Funding projects which preserve North American material culture;
• Instructing others in the field of North American material culture/preservation;
• Providing leadership and service in support of material culture/preservation at the local, state, or national level;
• Supporting activities (not including publications) which have substantially increased public understanding and awareness of material culture/preservation, such as educational programs, special events, exhibitions or media productions.
Who is Eligible?
Individuals, organizations, businesses, institutions, sand public agencies are eligible for the Award.
Nominations
Nominations are accepted annually from the region or area where The Society’s Annual Meeting is being held. Please visit the Annual Meeting Overview page for more details.
Selection
One award winner and up to three honorable mentions may be chosen by a selection committee appointed by the Executive Director of ISLPMC.
Awards
The Historic Preservation Award winner receives:
1. an engraved plaque
2. two free conference registrations
3. two free banquet tickets
4. a free one-year institutional membership in The Society*
Each Historic Preservation Citation of Merit recipient receives:
1. an engraved plaque
2. one free conference registration
3. one free banquet ticket
4. a free one-year institutional membership in The Society*
*In the rare case where the winner or runner-up is an individual, then the person shall receive a free one-year individual membership in The Society instead of an institutional membership.
Deadline
Nominations must be submitted to the Chairperson by August 1st of any given year. The selection committee will not consider late or incomplete nominations.
Contact
Please send the name of your nominee along with relevant supporting materials, to:
Jeffrey L. Durbin | jdurbin384@aol.com.
Recipients of the ISLPMC Historic Preservation Award & Historic Preservation Citations of Merit
2024 Recipient: The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire
2024 Citation of Merit: Lyndeborough Heritage Commission
2023 Recipient: The Friends of Arrow Rock
2023 Citation of Merit: Old Munichburg Association
2022 Recipient: Historical Society of Ocean Grove, New Jersey
2022 Citation of Merit: Doo-Wop Preservation League of Wildwood, New Jersey.
2021 Recipient: Tulsa Foundation for Architecture
2021 Citation of Merit: Greenwood Rising: Black Wall Street History Center.
2019 Recipient: Dr. Ted J. Ligibel, who stands among the preeminent historic preservation professors in the United States during the last fifty years.
2019 Citation of Merit: Preservation Detroit, the city’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to Historic Preservation.
2018 Recipient: Friends of St. Alphonsus, for their preservation of this church, especially its magnificent 1856 sanctuary.
2018 Citation of Merit: There were two recipients this year: Save our Cemeteries, both for their preservation efforts and for the fine tours they conduct, and the Louisiana Landmarks Society, which advocates for the preservation of historic properties in New Orleans.
2017 Recipient: Friends of Historic Spring City for the organization’s outstanding contributions to the recognition and preservation of Central Utah’s heritage and material culture.
2017 Citation of Merit: Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints for the church’s efforts to preserve, maintain, and restore its stock of historic buildings throughout the US and across the world. .
2016 Recipient: South Union Shaker Village of Auburn, Kentucky for its outstanding contributions to the recognition and preservation of Western Kentucky’s heritage and material culture.
2016 Citation of Merit: Landmark Preservation Society of Bowling Green and Warren County for its ongoing efforts to preserve architectural, cultural and archaeological resources in Bowling Green and Warren County.
2015 Recipient: Historic Zoarsville for its ongoing efforts to preserve and restore historic Zoar Village, a 19th century communal society of German religious dissenters in Zoar, Ohio.
2015 Citation of Merit: Preservation Oklahoma, Inc. for its restoration and ongoing preservation of the Overholser Mansion in Oklahoma City.
2014 Recipient: The May 4 Visitors Center at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, for its efforts to interpret and preserve the events of May 4, 1970.
2014 Citation of Merit: Preservation Oklahoma, Inc. for its restoration and ongoing preservation of the Overholser Mansion in Oklahoma City.
2013 Recipient: Trustees of the Oneida Community Mansion House in Oneida, NY.
2013 Citation of Merit: The Board of Directors of the Fort Herkimer Church in German Flats, NY.
2012 Recipient: Ryan and Eric Berley for their restoration of the Shane Candies Confectionery at 110 Market Street in the Old City District of Philadelphia, PA.
2011 Recipient: Friends of the Lyric, Inc. for the organization's rehabilitation of the 1926 Lyric Theatre of Stuart, Florida.
2011 Citation of Merit: 1) The City of Fellsmere, Florida in recognition of its outstanding efforts to preserve and restore the 1916 Old Fellsmere School. 2) The Rio Civic Club in recognition of its outstanding efforts to preserve and restore the 1926 Stuart Welcome Arch in Jensen Beach, Florida.
2010 Recipient: The Mount Holly Barn Preservation Association for its outstanding contributions to the recognition and preservation of Vermont heritage and material culture
2010 Award of Merit: 1) The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation in recognition of its outstanding efforts to preserve, restore, and interpret the Mount Independence State Historic Site of Orwell, Vermont, in conjunction with the Mount Independence Coalition. 2) The Mount Independence Coalition in recognition of its outstanding efforts to preserve, restore, and interpret the Mount Independence State Historic Site of Orwell, Vermont, in conjunction with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
2009 Recipient: Cockayne Historic Preservation Committee for its project, first, to preserve the Cockayne Farmstead in Glenn Dale, WV, and secondly, to create an educational and cultural center at the farm that will benefit all West Virginians
2009 Award of Merit: 1) Historic Beverly Preservation in recognition of its outstanding efforts to preserve, restore, and interpret four historic downtown buildings for use as the Beverly Heritage Center, Beverly WV. 2) Don C. Wood and the Berkeley County Historical Society in recognition of their outstanding efforts to promote preserve, restore, and use the Belle Boyd House in Martinsville, WV, as an archive and research center.
2008 Recipient: Southern Forest Heritage Museum, Long Leaf, Louisiana, a historic sawmill complex devoted to examining and interpreting the heritage of the Gulf Coast region’s forest industry
2007 Recipient: The Catoctin Center for Regional Studies, Frederick, Maryland
2007 Honorable Mention: The Dorchester Historical Society, Dorchester, Massachusetts, for its preservation and restoration of the circa 1650 James Blake House; St. John’s Union Church, Thurmont, Maryland, for the preservation and restoration of its 1834 church building; the Master of Arts in the Historic Preservation Program, Goucher College, Baltimore, Maryland, for its outstanding accomplishment and excellence of instruction in material culture and preservation in North America
2006 Recipient: The Flatwoods School Project, Logan County, Ohio
2005: No Award Recipient.
2004 Recipient: Save The Speaker’s House, Inc. This award went to Save the Speaker’s House, Inc. of Collegeville, Pennsylvania for their work in saving the Frederick Muhlenberg House from demolition by a large pharmacy chain. The group plans to restore the house as a museum. Accepting the award were Al and Barbara Douglas.
2004 Honorable Mention: (1) Franconia Historical Society for preventing the demolition of the Jonas G. Leidy House. Accepting the award were members Vickie Stauffer and Kate Nuss. (2) Upper Moreland Historical Association for encouraging the adoption of local historic preservation ordinances and for organizing bus tours of local historic sites.
2003 Award of Merit: Dr. Karl Watson — for his long term efforts helping to preserve many aspects of the material culture of Barbados. Dr. Watson is Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, University of the West Indies. He is the Editor of the Journal of the Barbados Museum, Secretary (Hon) of the Barbados National Trust, Chairman of the George Washington House Restoration Committee, and the Barbados / Carolinas Committee. For thirty years, Karl has been active in the teaching and preservation fields in Barbados. He has had his classes working on material culture survey projects and doing archaeological excavations around the island. He worked on the renovation and restoration of the 1650s Bridgetown Synagogue and Jewish Cemetery. He has been on the front lines of the preservation movement for most of his career. His publications include Barbados, The Civilized Island, A Social History 1750 to 1816, The White Minority of the Caribbean (with H. Johnson) and Old Doll, Matriarch of Newton Plantation.
2003 Honorable Mention: Mr. Paul Altman — for his leadership and work in restoring and preserving the Arlington House in Speightstown, and making it available for tours. The Arlington House is perhaps the best example of the prototype of the Charleston, SC “Single House.” Mr. Paul Altman has been involved in real estate for 27 years as Managing Director of Alleyne, Aguilar & Altman Ltd. He has been at the forefront of developments in the luxury residential market in recent years and was instrumental in the highly successful Royal Westmoreland golf residential community where he held the post of Deputy Chairman. He is a director of Sugar Hill, a tennis based residential community. Mr. Altman is a graduate of the University of Miami with B.B.A. Degree. In addition to the luxury property market, Mr. Altman is involved in urban renewal and preservation programs in Speightstown, where he is Chairman of the Task Force and in Bridgetown through his directorship with Barbados Shipping and Trading Co. Ltd. He is immediate past President of the Barbados National Trust, and was a leader in the successful efforts to save and renovate the Bridgetown Synagogue.
2002 Award of Merit: Chicago Heights Historic Preservation Committee, Chicago Heights, Illinois — for their tireless efforts to promote historic preservation in Chicago Heights
2002 Honorable Mention Old Orland Heritage Foundation, Orland Park, Illinois — for their fifteen-year effort to restore and adaptively reuse on of Orland Parks’s historic landmarks, The Twin Towers Church.
Elijah Iles House Foundation — for it’s ongoing efforts to save and restore the Elijah Iles house, the oldest extant house in Springfield, Illinois
2001 Award of Merit: Nathalie Andrews, Director, Portland Museum, Louisville, Kentucky — for her tireless efforts to save the historic building in which the museum is housed and for establishing an institution that today provides valuable educational opportunities about Louisville history and preservation for the public and area schools
2001 Honorable Mention: Steve Wiser, Louisville Historical League — for the League’s efforts to promote and preserve the history and culture of greater Louisville and especially for its activities on behalf of the preservation of the Louisville Male High School.
Dr. Michael Ann Williams, Western Kentucky University — for her leadership and many contribution to the fields of folklore, vernacular architectural and material culture studies
Jim and John Kelly, Bardstown Kentucky — for their successful restoration and reopening of the tavern, one of downtown Bardstown’s most historic and architecturally significant buildings, after it was badly damaged by fire.
2001 Award of Merit: Nathalie Andrews, Director, Portland Museum, Louisville, Kentucky — for her tireless efforts to save the historic building in which the museum is housed and for establishing an institution that today provides valuable educational opportunities about Louisville history and preservation for the public and area schools
2001 Honorable Mention: Steve Wiser, Louisville Historical League — for the League’s efforts to promote and preserve the history and culture of greater Louisville and especially for its activities on behalf of the preservation of the Louisville Male High School.
Dr. Michael Ann Williams, Western Kentucky University — for her leadership and many contribution to the fields of folklore, vernacular architectural and material culture studies
Jim and John Kelly, Bardstown Kentucky — for their successful restoration and reopening of the tavern, one of downtown Bardstown’s most historic and architecturally significant buildings, after it was badly damaged by fire.
2000 Award of Merit: The alliance to conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods (ACORN), Richmond, Virginia — for their successful effort to identify vacant, derelict and/or tax delinquent buildings in Richmond’s older neighborhoods, promote the purchase and renovation of vacant and abandoned structures and market the properties to attract homeowners of all income levels.
2000 Honorable Mention: Harrison Tyler — for the private purchase and restoration of Fort Pocahontas, Wilson’s Wharf Civil War Battlefield, the best preserved site in Virginia associated with African-American Federal troops in combat.
John Emory Wells, Richmond, Virginia — for his exemplary work as an architectural historian with the Virginia Department of Historical Resources.
In Your Ear Inc., Music and Recording Services, Richmond, Virginia — for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of four derelict buildings in Richmond’s Schockoe Valley and Tobacco Row Historic District, for use as the company’s recording studio.