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Putnam County preservation group collects prestigious Servaas Memorial Award
INDIANAPOLIS -- In a landmark moment for historic preservation locally, Greencastle and Putnam County were singled out Saturday by the Indiana Landmarks group for its most prestigious award.
The Heritage Preservation Society (HPS) of Putnam County was presented the annual Servaas Memorial Award for outstanding achievement in historic preservation in a ceremony at the Indiana Landmarks Center, a nineteenth-century church restored and adapted as theaters, meeting and office space.
HPS captured the prize in the nonprofit category with Indiana Landmarks Honorary Chairman Randall T. Shepard, former chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, presenting the Servaas statue and a check for $2,000 to former HPS President Phil Gick.
Gick was standing in Saturday for the group's current president, Mike Murphy, during the awards ceremony at Indiana Landmarks' 53rd annual meeting.
Justice Shepard cited the Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County's expansive vision for preservation and its role in the quality of community life in Greencastle and the surrounding area.
"This group moves from broad vision to on-the-ground action," Shepard praised.
He noted several threatened structures that HPS successfully advocated to save, from the Senior Center on the courthouse square and the deteriorating Zaring House to the Victorian Luetke-Cowgill House and a log cabin the group rescued and moved to the Cloverdale town park.
"The group tries to avoid crises, however," Shepard noted, mentioning the three city neighborhoods -- Old Greencastle, Eastern Enlargement and Northwood -- that were successfully nominated by HPS to the National Register of Historic Places.
"The landmark status communicates the area's value and makes the properties eligible for homeowner restoration tax credits," he said.
Images of the districts and several other HPS projects appeared on the movie screen of the Grand Hall of Indiana Landmarks Center as Shepard offered his remarks.
"The all-volunteer group draws attention to historic buildings by staging walking tours and preservation workshops," Shepard pointed out, "including a series of walking tours in cemeteries throughout the county that led to an ongoing project to restore the Civil War Monument in Forest Hill Cemetery."
By being "informed, helpful, creative and collaborative," Shepard said, HPS made itself "a player in economic development and community revitalization on the courthouse square and beyond."
The organization was "a key partner in securing Greencastle's status as a Stellar Community in 2011, a designation that brought money to restore facades on the courthouse square and create a grand new entrance for DePauw University that also preserves the historic streetscape," Shepard said.
He asked the HPS board members present to stand for applause while Gick made his way to the stage to accept the $2,000 prize and the Servaas Award, a handcrafted Indiana maple statue called "No Doors to Lock out the Past" by Evansville artist John McNaughton.
The day's other honor was presented to Camille Fife, a historic preservation professional from Madison, who received the individual Servaas Award and $1,000 cash prize.
As president of The Westerly Group, a consulting firm, Fife has lent her expertise to landmarks across the state for more than 30 years. Her projects have ranged from identifying the rehabilitation needs of an early brick farmhouse to documenting the historic buildings in an entire town.
With eight offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, persons may call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534 or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.