Appearing on an annual list of the state's most threatened or endangered historic properties might not seem like a victory, but for historic preservation advocates from around the state, celebration was in order Wednesday night as the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance announced its 2009 Seven to Save.

The First Parish Church in East Derry hosted the event, and also received one of the seven designations.  Originally built in1769, and enlarged in 1822 by adding 24 feet in the center of the building, the church still serves an active congregation, but is facing nearly $1 million in repair costs for critical structural improvements.  

The 2009 Seven to Save announcement included a walking tour of the East Derry historic district, and a slide presentation of the listed sites.  About a hundred people attended to show their support for these buildings and structures, share their challenges and offer encouragement and support for continued efforts to protect the best of New Hampshire's heritage.

The New England Center in Durham, the first "modern" building to receive Seven to Save recognition, made the list because UNH has announced its intention to close the hotel and conference facility next year, leaving the widely acclaimed facility's future uncertain.

Diversity was the name of the game for several places on this year's list.  The iron furnace, a popular Franconia landmark and rare survivor of the early 19th century iron industry, is threatened by lack of maintenance and needs a long-term protection strategy.  

The 70-meter ski jump at Gunstock Ski Area in Gilford, built with WPA funds during the 1930's, was last used in 2004.  Ski enthusiasts believe that this jump, along with two other smaller jumps, also abandoned, could help revive a training program and attract Olympic-level athletes to the famed hill again.  

Voters have twice turned down warrant articles to renovate Brewster Memorial Hall in Wolfeboro, an outstanding Romanesque Revival building that has housed town offices for more than a hundred years.  Another downtown building, the United Methodist Church in Keene, has just been vacated by its congregation, leaving its long-term viability in jeopardy.

Rounding out the Seven to Save list is a much-loved mill building in East Alstead, where generations of neighborhood children learned woodworking, and community pot-luck suppers once drew together townspeople for fellowship in this remote corner of the state.  

The Alliance's Seven to Save program recognizes endangered historic properties in need of attention and resources, and highlights the challenges to historic landmarks, villages, main streets and rural communities that face New Hampshire.  Selection criteria include historic significance, severity of threat and the potential impact of the listing.

Michael Tule of Milford, who chaired the Seven to Save Committee for the Preservation Alliance's Board of Directors, was enthusiastic in his remarks about the potential for all seven of this year's sites to make successful comebacks.  "We have a great range of projects that are all worthy of being saved and could make a real difference in their communities.  Reviving historic buildings simply makes sense in terms of the energy that's already gone into their construction, the jobs that will be created as they're rehabbed, and the benefits they'll bring to their communities once they are back in use," Tule said.

Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the Preservation Alliance, noted that  New Hampshire's Seven to Save program, begun in 2006, was patterned after the National Trust for Historic Preservation's model.  "This program is a way for us to bring focused attention and assistance to a group of highly important projects each year.  We give priority to helping Seven to Save projects through our field service program, and we know funders give these projects extra consideration too," she said.

Past listings have helped advocates save a landmark meetinghouse from demolition in Epsom, begin restoration of a rare covered bridge in Ossipee, and turn a long-vacant brick school in Manchester into new space for college classrooms.  

The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance is the statewide membership organization dedicated to preserving historic buildings, communities and landscapes through education and advocacy.  For more information, contact the Alliance at 603-224-2281 or www.nhpreservation.org.

The program is generously sponsored, in part, by Lincoln Financial Foundation, Inc., g2+1 LLC , F.H. Hamblet Electrical Contractors, Hardware Management & Design,  Lavasseur Electrical Contractors, Inc., Mamakating Electric, and the Roedel Companies. 

The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance is the statewide membership organization dedicated to preserving historic buildings, communities and landscapes through education and advocacy. Current priorities include providing assistance to community leaders and promoting the use of easements, barn preservation and tax incentives.  
  
Descriptions of the 2009 Seven to Save:

	The Mill at Mill Hollow, East Alstead The earliest of a dozen mills in Papermill Village and the last remaining, this site dates to 1760 (current structure from 1917).  It is an important town and regional landmark.  Emergency repairs are underway, but long-term stability and plans to convert the site to a museum require financial resources and community support.  Mow Kazati & Kate Tarlow Morgan, owners, 603-835-2825, mowkazati@yahoo.com
	First Parish Church, East Derry First Parish Church was built in 1769, enlarged in 1822, reconfigured to two stories in 1845 and further remodeled in 1884.  The congregation is struggling with the task of raising $1 million for major structural repairs to the building. Contact Virginia True, FPC Historic Preservation Committee,  meltrue@comcast.net, 603-434-0640
	The New England Center, UNH, Durham This hotel and conference center, designed by noted architect William Pereira, is a stunning example of Pereira's ability to adapt a building to a site. Constructed in 1963 of green brick and soaring glass in a wooded landscape, the center is slated for closure by the University in 2010; the complex's future is yet to be determined.  Contact: Erika Mantz, Director, UNH Media Relations, Erika.mantz@unh.edu, 603-862-1567 or 603-969-7916
	Iron Furnace, Franconia This 205-year-old stone stack is a rare surviving example of an early New England iron furnace: it is unique in its octagonal shape.  Each year the structure deteriorates; stones fall from its top and the archways may eventually collapse.  The furnace needs immediate stabilization and a long-term stewardship and management plan. Contact: Rebecca Brown, Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust, 603-823-7282.
	Grace United Methodist Church, Keene Grace Church was designed by Shepard S. Woodcock, a prolific Boston architect known for his High Victorian Gothic public commissions. Built in 1869, the church is currently for sale, as its small congregation can no longer afford its upkeep. The future of this building is uncertain. Contact: Jeananne Farrar, Keene Heritage Commission, 603-352-2158, jbfarrar@juno.com
	70-Meter Ski Jump, Gilford Built as a Depression-era recovery project in 1935-37,  the Gunstock Mountain 70-meter ski jump is one of a limited number of its vintage still standing in North America.  This jump and two smaller ones, also abandoned, could be revived as a venue for training young athletes and hosting Olympic-level competition again. Contact: Carol Anderson, local advocate, 603-293-1137, Carol@BerryPatchHollow.com
	Brewster Memorial Hall, Wolfeboro Listed on the National Register in 1983, this Romanesque Revival structure once housed the town library, town offices, the police station and an auditorium; first floor commercial space generated income for building maintenance.  Town offices have now outgrown the available space, and the voters are divided over whether to rehab the building, abandon it, or sell it to a commercial developer. Contact Joyce Davis, Friends of the Wolfeboro Town Hall, jndavis@metrocast.net, 603-569-5566

PREVIOUS SEVEN TO SAVE LISTEES:

2008:  Holy Resurrection church in Berlin, Kimball House in Canaan, Langdon's Meetinghouse, Pandora Mill in Manchester, Livery Building (Old Town Hall) in Sunapee, Frye's Measure Mill in Wilton, and New Hampshire's metal truss bridges. 

2007:  Acworth Meetinghouse, Ashland's Historic School, Whittier Covered Bridge in Ossipee, Manchester's First High School, St. Anne Church of Manchester, Burley-DeMeritt Farmhouse in Lee, and Upper Village Hall in East Derry.

2006:  Enfield's Great Stone Dwelling, Hilltop School in Somersworth, Philbrook Farm Inn in Shelburne, the Stone Arched Bridge in Keene, Franco-American Center in Manchester, Epsom's Historic Meetinghouse, and New Hampshire's State Historic Sites.