Ten Awardees to be Celebrated via Statewide Live Stream for Exceptional Stewardship, Innovative Programming, and Leadership
(April 23, 2026) CROWNSVILLE, MD – For over half a century, the Maryland Preservation Awards have recognized the people and projects that protect the state’s historic landmarks and cultural heritage. This May, in celebration of Preservation Month, the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) continues this tradition by honoring ten exceptional projects and leaders. Selected by the MHT Board of Trustees, these awardees demonstrate significant achievements in restoration, advocacy, and community revitalization. Throughout May and June, MHT will host local ceremonies across the state, with events live streamed on social media beginning May 1. For a comprehensive schedule of these and other MHT celebrations, visit tiny.cc/MHT-Events.
The following people, places, and programs will receive awards:
Outstanding Individual Leadership at the Local Level – Reggie Turner (Washington County). Reggie Turner has been the driving force behind the reclamation of African American heritage in Washington County. His leadership spans historic preservation and community revitalization, supporting both the interpretation of place and the investment needed to sustain it. Under his guidance, Hagerstown's Jonathan Street community achieved national prominence through an initiative to interpret and preserve the neighborhood’s diverse history – as celebrated by the PBS documentary The House on Jonathan Street. His current work includes the multi-million-dollar rehabilitation of the Robert W. Johnson Community Center, including the restoration of its historic swimming pool and expansion of community programming.
Outstanding Organizational Leadership at the Local Level – The Durable Restoration Company (Howard County). For decades, the Durable Restoration Company has served as a preeminent guardian of Maryland’s historic built environment. Entrusted with iconic landmarks like the Maryland State House and Baltimore City Hall, the firm’s projects are defined by technical mastery and strict adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Beyond craftsmanship, the company champions the future of historic trades through an in-house apprenticeship program, as well as a specialized preservation department that assists clients in navigating grants, tax credits, and long-term stewardship.
Excellence in Public Programming and Exhibits – Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area (HCWHA) for the US 250th GeoTour (Frederick, Carroll, and Washington counties). HCWHA has pioneered a sophisticated model for heritage tourism through its US 250th GeoTour. Launched in September 2025 as a signature America 250 project, the initiative links over 20 historic sites across three counties via physical and virtual geocaches. By pairing digital navigation with immersive historical narratives, the GeoTour has attracted nearly 5,000 site visits and over 100 overnight stays in its inaugural months. This integration of technology and history successfully converts recreational travelers into dedicated advocates for the region’s diverse and storied past.
Excellence in Community Impact – Faye Allen Belt for the Crownsville Hospital Master Plan & Columbia Beach National Register Nomination (Anne Arundel County). Faye Allen Belt is a distinguished leader in the preservation of Maryland’s African American heritage. Drawing on deep personal ties to Crownsville Hospital, Belt galvanized former staff and descendants to help shape the Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park Master Plan, adopted by Anne Arundel County in 2025. Simultaneously, as President of the Columbia Beach Citizens Improvement Association, her grassroots outreach and oral history documentation were instrumental in Columbia Beach’s official listing as a National Register Historic District by the National Park Service. Belt’s advocacy ensures that these essential places, and their stories, remain central to the state’s historical record – and its future.
Excellence in Preservation Partnerships – The Pocomoke Indian Nation and Beach to Bay Heritage Area for the History, Heritage & Homelands Trail (Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties). The Pocomoke Indian Nation and Beach to Bay Heritage Area have redefined a regional heritage trail through a transformative partnership. They redesigned 12 interpretive signs and an authoritative guidebook, replacing superficial historical references with the Pocomoke Indian Nation’s primary research and oral histories. The new History, Heritage & Homelands Trail meticulously maps tribal homelands and Indigenous landscapes before and after European contact, creating the Lower Eastern Shore’s most comprehensive guide to Native American heritage. The initiative serves as a flagship model for preservation where descendant communities lead the narrative from its inception.
Outstanding Stewardship of an MHT Easement Site – The County Commissioners of Carroll County for the Union Mills Gristmill (Carroll County). Carroll County’s stewardship of the Union Mills Homestead, in partnership with the Union Mills Homestead Foundation, reflects a superior model of sustained public commitment. Since the 1970s, the County Commissioners have consistently funded critical preservation investments, including an award-winning 2023 flume restoration. Their most recent achievement – the meticulous restoration of the 1797 gristmill’s waterwheel and shaft – utilized original UK engineering drawings and master-level millwrighting, and the white oak wheel was handcrafted to historic specifications. Welcoming over 10,000 annual visitors, this working mill remains a principal interpreter of Maryland’s early industrial heritage.
Excellence in Rehabilitation – Visitation Hotel Frederick (Frederick County). The Visitation Hotel Frederick represents a masterful adaptive reuse of a circa-1850 Federal-style landmark. Following a $30 million investment, this former convent and Civil War hospital reopened in December 2024 as downtown Frederick’s first new hotel in over fifty years. Despite significant construction challenges, the project carefully preserved many of the original site features, such as the Corinthian chapel – now transformed into a signature restaurant featuring the original pipe organ and stained glass. With over 1,200 curated artifacts on display, the hotel seamlessly integrates luxury hospitality with the site’s layered history, serving as a catalyst for the city’s economic revitalization.
Excellence in Rehabilitation – James E. Hooper House (Baltimore City). Following a devastating 2022 fire, federal historic tax credits helped save the 1886 Queen Anne-style James E. Hooper House, an irreplaceable piece of Baltimore’s Old Goucher neighborhood. Today, the building has been reimagined as a dynamic springboard for the creative economy, housing seventeen small businesses, makers, and cultural organizations. The high-standard rehabilitation proves that preserving architectural integrity is a direct investment in the local workforce, providing the infrastructure and inspiration for artists and entrepreneurs to thrive.
Excellence in Restoration – Euchtman House (Baltimore City). The Euchtman House, completed in 1939, is one of only two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes in Maryland and the state's sole Usonian residence. Over six years, a careful series of focused interventions brought the house back into alignment with Wright’s original design intent. The restoration reinstated clerestory windows, recreated Wright’s original concrete flooring, added custom cypress cabinetry, and optimized circulation for daily use. The owners' commitment to Wright’s vision earned them the 2025 Wright Spirit Award from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, recognizing the project's role in preserving the home as an enduring and rare landmark of American modernism.
Excellence in Restoration – USS Constellation for the Rigging Restoration Project (Baltimore City). The preservation of the USS Constellation as the last surviving Civil War-era naval vessel afloat represents a pinnacle achievement in maritime heritage. Led by Historic Ships in Baltimore and Living Classrooms Foundation, the project marked the first comprehensive conservation of the ship’s three masts since 1999. Skilled riggers employed traditional maritime techniques and historically appropriate materials to ensure the project reflected the ship’s original design, function, and appearance. Beyond technical restoration, the vessel served as a "living classroom," providing hands-on training for workforce participants. This restored icon will anchor the Sail250 Maryland celebration in 2026 as a singular maritime landmark.
# # #
|
