The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance recognized the Center’s Parker J. Noyes redevelopment project as an outstanding example of successful historic preservation and community development investment in its 2022 awards.

“The award recognizes the Northern Forest Center and its many collaborators and supporters for bold vision, thoughtful community outreach and historic preservation strategies, and tenacious project execution,” said Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. “We hope and expect that this project will be a catalyst for many other preservation rural redevelopment efforts in Lancaster and across the region.”

The Center’s goal in redeveloping the highly visible and badly dilapidated building was to catalyze investment in Lancaster and contribute to Lancaster’s vitality as a community and as an important hub in the North Country.

“Our work has inspired others to invest in Main Street,” said Center Communications Director Kelly Short. “This has ranged from simple fix-ups like fresh paint or window boxes, to the purchase of other buildings that are being renovated for mixed use. It’s tremendously rewarding to see our building renovation in its final stages and see the other investments it has inspired.”

The Center completed this project in July 2022. See the finished building or meet one of the building’s tenants in this video.

Historic Preservation

The Center bought the historic 3-story building on Lancaster’s Main Street in 2018, after the Preservation Alliance had included it in its 2017 “Seven to Save” list of the most important at-risk historic buildings in the state. It is now listed on the state’s Register of Historic Places.

“These are the kinds of places we can’t imagine New Hampshire without,” said Goodman as she introduced the nine winning projects on May 3. She noted the positive community and economic impacts of the projects, and the critical importance of having a wide range of financial support to complete these historic renovations.

Extensive Project Support

“The Parker J. Noyes renovation has drawn strong support from across the state,” said Short. “We’ve had financial support from a wide range of sources, which included individuals who made impact investments in the project, as well as more than 40 sources of government grants, state and federal tax credits, businesses, foundations, donor advised funds, and scores of individuals.”

Key partners in the project include the Town of Lancaster and Taproot Environmental Farm & Education Center, which will occupy the first floor of the building. The upper floors of the building have been renovated to create six one- and two-bedroom apartments that will help fill a gap in Lancaster’s housing market, providing quality in-town apartments for people interested in living in Lancaster.

Garland Mill of Lancaster acted as construction manager for the $3.2-million project, implementing the redesign created by Alba Architects of North Woodstock. Thirty subcontracting companies and 100 trades people worked on the building during its renovation.

“As we’ve given tours of the almost -completed building, we’ve heard great appreciation from people in the community about the Parker J. Noyes redevelopment,” said Short. “They’ve told us their personal connections to the building and how much it means to them that we saved this building when many had expected it to fall down or be torn down. It’s truly a part of their personal history and the town’s history.”

Thank You to Supporters

The Center is grateful to the donors listed below as well as the individuals who contributed to two crowdfunding campaigns to support the $3.2-million redevelopment of Parker J. Noyes. Federal sources are contributing up to $300,000, or about 9 percent of the project; $2.9 million or 91 percent is expected to come from non-federal sources. 

Donors of cash or in-kind contributions include: 1772 Foundation, Britton Lumber; Coos Economic Development Corporation; Cloutier Lancaster Redevelopment, LLC; Downs Rachlin Martin, PLLC; Geo M Stevens & Son Co.; HEB Engineers; Horizon Engineering;  Madelaine G. von Weber Trust; Mascoma Bank Foundation; The McIninch Foundation;  Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation; NH Community Development Finance Authority; NH Division of Historical Resources; NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program; NH Preservation Alliance, through the Northern Border Regional Commission’s NHEP grant; Northeast Heritage Economy Program; Northern Border Regional Commission; Northern Forest Center Lancaster Advisory Group; Peter Powell Real Estate; Eversource Energy; Taproot Farm & Environmental Education Center; Town of Lancaster; Trividia Manufacturing Solutions; Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund; and You Have Our Trust.