SACO — A fire station built in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration project — one of eight such projects in the state — was identified Tuesday as one of Maine’s most endangered historic resources, according to an annual list released by Maine Preservation.
Also on the list: Wood Island Lifesaving Station in Kittery, Timber Point Cottage in Biddeford, Bar Mills and Hollis high schools, Waterville Savings Bank in Waterville and Lincoln Street School in Rockland.
Maine Preservation, a nonprofit organization that has compiled the list annually since 1996, also includes general categories of buildings. This year, they identified historic freight sheds statewide, in-town public buildings, history in the digital age (such as websites and digital records) and original building materials as endangered.
The list is meant to highlight buildings with uncertain futures and the potential for creative re-use of community spaces.
“Preservation of these built resources is a leading catalyst for community revitalization, economic development and continued quality of life for the citizens of Maine’s towns and cities,” Maine Preservation Executive Director Greg Paxton said during a news conference at Saco City Hall.
“While historic preservation has done relatively well in the recent challenged economy, our current austerity reminds us that wise management and use of our existing resources form a firm foundation for future prosperity, as this list illustrates.”
The group uses nominations and staff research to come up with the list.
The decision to include history as an endangered resource came from the increasing use of digital records instead of written documents. Digital records can be erased, websites can be taken down and file types can become incompatible, threatening the permanence of the information, Paxton said.
Five York County buildings are on the list, including the Wood Island Life Saving Station in Kittery. Efforts to save the station — built in 1908 and used as an outpost for shipwreck surveillance and rescues — are being led by the Wood Island Life Saving Station Association.
“The building has deteriorated to the point that it is vulnerable to demolition by neglect,” Paxton said.
Several buildings on the list face uncertain futures after recent votes to demolish them.
In Buxton and Hollis, the historical society and civic groups are trying to save the former Hollis High School and Bar Mills School, which was used as an administration building since 1954. In June, a 1,554-1,440 vote authorized School Administrative District 6 to demolish the buildings if another use cannot be found. Officials in both towns previously rejected taking ownership of the buildings from their school departments.
The former Hollis High School was built in 1941 and was a townwide effort, said Peg Gardner, a Hollis resident who wants to save the buildings.
“I think it’s amazing they took on this huge project right at the beginning of World War II,” she said. “To me it represents a spirt of optimism and faith.”
Stephen Heroux, chairman of the school board’s facilities committee, said the committee still is considering what to do with the buildings, but he would not discuss specific options. He said there is no timeline for when the board will make a decision.
The inclusion of Central Fire Station on the list was applauded by city officials and residents who support reusing the building. The City Council on Aug. 21 narrowly rejected an offer from Cynthia Taylor of Housing Initiatives of New England to buy the building for $50,000 and invest up to $1.2 million to create affordable senior housing. Councilors tabled until September a vote on a plan to raze the building to create a parking lot.
The fire station has been empty since the Fire Department moved to its new home last year. Paxton said the station “exhibits a legacy that is equal parts architecture and community.”
Taylor, vice president of Maine Preservation’s board of trustees, was not involved with creating the list, Paxton said.
South Berwick’s ongoing efforts to reuse the former St. Michael’s Church as a town library demonstrates creative adaptive uses that can save in-town public buildings, Paxton said. David Stansfield, a member of the library’s building committee and Friends of the Library organization, said the 1887 church on 2 acres is the perfect location for a downtown library. The library is expected to move into the building next month.
Library director Karen McCarty Eger said residents — many of them former church members — have responded positively to the building’s reuse.
“They’re just beyond delighted, walking into that historic space,” she said.
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