At its annual awards event, Maine Preservation recognized the Northern Forest Center foritsredevelopment of the historic Gehring House in Bethel.
At theceremony in Portland in mid-March, Maine Preservation recognized the Center, along with the design and build team from Woodhull, with a 2026 Honor Award for the outstanding redevelopment project that saved a neglected community asset while preserving remarkable historic woodwork and craftsmanship.
Rescuing the Gehring House
“When we conducted one of our ‘residency’ visits in Bethel, concern over the vacant and deteriorating Gehring House came up in literally every conversation we had,” said Tara Kelly, executive director at Maine Preservation. “Its spectacular transformation is now the focus of a different kind of conversation—one of appreciation, excitement, and pride.”
By following historic rehabilitation standards set by the National Park Service, the Center was able to access historic tax credits, which it combined with impact investments and philanthropic gifts to fund the top-to-bottom renovation and create new housing.
Center staff, board members, volunteers and team members from Woodhull Construction accept Honor Award from Maine Preservation.
A Team Effort
“We’re thrilled to be honored by Maine Preservation, and to also honor our incredible team from Woodhull, including historic consultant Margaret Gartner,” said Amy Scott, program manager at the Center. “The project harnessed the creativity of the team, combined it with support from the community, and resulted in the return of an important historic asset to service to the community by creating new housing”
The Center’s real estate work aims to rehabilitate downtown buildings and develop new homes in communities across the Northern Forest that are struggling to provide year-round housing for local people. Other housing development projects are underway in Millinocket and Greenville, ME, and Tupper Lake and Elizabethtown, NY, where the historic Hale House will be carefully rehabilitated to historic standards.
“Historic preservation can sometimes be seen as a limiting factor for design, particularly for the more budget-driven workforce housing projects,” said Anna Pajulo, Woodhull’s architect.. “Here, preserving the existing house and its stories served as our primary inspiration and driver.”
“Working with the Center a client whose values and goals align so well with ours at Woodhull, and whose people are so passionate about the cause — made this a dream project for us. This is why this recognition by Maine Preservation is so meaningful to us; it’s a testament to people working together, and a project that met and exceeded the challenge of combining historic preservation with sustainability and supporting the local community.”
