NORWAY — Rehabilitation of the iconic 1851 Gingerbread House has been 10 years in the making, said Andrea Burns of the Norway Landmarks Preservation Society, which functions locally as Friends of the Gingerbread House.
Yet, the work is far from complete.
Extensive rehabilitation work has been completed on Norway’s Gingerbread House since it was purchased by the Norway Historical Society in 2009. Brewster Burns photo
The building, originally known as the Evans-Cummings House, has graced the north entrance to town since the 1850s. Over the last 168 years, it served a variety of uses: private home, apartment building and, finally, storage for the Advertiser Democrat and Sun Journal.
The house was slated to be demolished in 2009 but the Norway Historical Society recognized the importance of the iconic building. The group worked with the Costello family, former owners, to purchase the Victorian house.
Norway’s Gingerbread House in 2016. Brewster Burns photo
The effort was kicked off with a single anonymous donation of $100,000 was given that year in support of the relocation and preservation of the building.
“The main goal from the beginning has been preserving the Gingerbread House,” Burns said. “In order to preserve it, we had to move it.”
In 2011, the house was moved 950 feet west to its current Main Street location.
“After the house was moved, we secured and contracted with Barba and Wheelock Architects of Portland to develop a preservation plan to guide the work of rehabilitating the building,” Burns said. “We determined immediately that the work we did would be quality work.”
The Gingerbread House in 2016. Brewster Burns photo
Each year, Friends of the Gingerbread House would raise money for its next project. First, construction of a brick foundation under the building. Then, rehabilitation of the roof and chimneys.
“It’s taken season upon season to get where we are because we fundraise as we go,” she added.
Ongoing work includes carpentry, painting of the facade and restoration of the windows, she said.
“This year, we created a first level entrance and completed the carpentry and painting of the south wall,” she added.
The next step is an effort to rehabilitate the first-floor porch, she said. The full porch, which was removed from the building prior to its being moved to its current location, can not be completely replaced to wrap around the turret, so a smaller porch, compatible with the building’s features, will be built at the front entrance to the turret.
Over the last decade, extensive rehabilitation work has been completed on Norway’s Gingerbread House. Brewster Burns photo
The fundraiser for that project, “Picture a Porch”, will kick off later this fall.
“We receive no public funding,” she said. “We are supported by the Friends of the Gingerbread House. Since it is such a visible project, it has gained new support throughout the year but it has kept a certain cadre of people who are interested in preserving the house. There is a lot of emotion attached to it.”
Donations can be made to Friends of the Gingerbread House, P.O. Box 525, Norway ME 04268, or online at www.gingerbreadhousenorway.org.
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