Opera House preservation, rehabilitation work recognized

NORWAY — The Norway Opera House received a Historic Preservation Honor Award for Commercial-Restoration/Rehabilitation from Maine Preservation on Nov. 14.

Lachman Architects & Planners of Portland, project architects, was selected by Maine Preservation to receive the award that honors some of the finest preservation projects in the state. It was presented at a dinner in Falmouth.

The Norway Opera House was officially reopened in February when more than 100 people gathered at the Main Street building to celebrate the reopening of its first-floor commercial spaces. The celebration occurred a little more than five years after a 2007 partial roof collapse nearly signaled an end to the 1894 building in the heart of the town’s National Historic District.

In 2003, Maine Preservation named the building one of Maine’s most endangered properties.

The award was presented by Maine Preservation Trustee Andrea Burns.

In addition to Burns, who is also president of Norway Downtown, the project was represented by Dennis Gray, Bruce Cook, Scott Berk and Brenda Melhus from the Norway Opera House Corporation; Brian Shibles, representing Norway Savings Bank; Denis Lachman and Jake Keeler from Lachman Architects & Planners in Portland; Al Hodson from Resurgence Engineering and Restoration in Portland; and John Blanchard of H.E. Callahan Construction in Auburn.

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: At the Maine Preservation award ceremony in Falmouth are, from left, Bruce Cook of the Norway Opera House Corp.; Brian Shibles from Norway Savings Bank; Dennis Gray from the Norway Opera House Corp.; Denis Lachman of Lachman Architects & Planners in Portland, Al Hodson of Resurgence Engineering and Restoration in Portland; Brenda Melhus of the Norway Opera House Corp.; Jake Keeler of Lachman Architects & Planners in Portland; Andrea Burns, trustee of Maine Preservation; Scott Berk of Norway Opera House Corp.; and John Blanchard of .H.E. Callahan Construction in Auburn.