MPPF Program Introduction

Slide 1 - Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund
The Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund was established in 1984 and is administered through the Massachusetts Historical Commission, or MHC, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin, Chairman.

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The MHC is dedicated to preserving our cultural heritage through protecting our historical resources – those local landmarks that contribute to sense-of-place of our cities and towns. Collectively, these resources distinguish the unique character of the Commonwealth and make it a special place to live.

The Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund – or MPPF – was initiated as a state-funded brick-and-mortar program for these designated historic properties, landscapes, and sites listed in the State Register of Historic Places.

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This annual grant program is open to municipalities and non-profits and has provided over 60 million dollars for pre-development, development, acquisition, and emergency work. This has benefitted communities all across the Commonwealth, as they work to restore, rehabilitate and document their historic resources.

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The MPPF program requires a 50% matching share from the grantee. Typically, the MPPF matching share requirements leverage more than the 50% required match, oftentimes providing a two-to-one or even three-to-one match. Federal funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development—or HUD—such as a Community Development Block Grant—or CDBG—is eligible as a matching share when applying for the MPPF program. Those communities that have adopted the Community Preservation Act—or CPA—are eligible to use CPA funds as a source for the match as well.

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MPPF assistance ensures that work performed on historic resources complies with strict preservation standards. By providing funding assistance to historic resources through MPPF, the Commission hopes to ensure their continued use and integrity. Funds available from MPPF may be used to restore, rehabilitate, and document historic and archaeological resources owned by municipalities or non-profit organizations. To date, the MPPF program has provided funding to over 1,400 projects in more than 260 municipalities across the Commonwealth.

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True to its initial mandate, the program remains one of the few sources of funding for historic building projects, including initial studies, brick-and-mortar work, or acquisitions. MPPF grants assist in projects across a broad spectrum of property types and community landmarks, ranging from fire stations, town hall and libraries to cemeteries, lighthouses, military forts and industrial sites.

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MPPF Pre-development funds are awarded to conduct studies necessary for future development or the protection of the property. These studies are often the first step to preservation. Projects like the Mount Everet Academy and South Egremont Village School…

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and Fort Sewall, an earthen fort in Marblehead, were successful in documenting the historical evolution of the sites with conditions assessments, feasibility studies for accessibility, and treatment plans formed preservation strategies for the future. Fort Sewall’s report also included the development of an interpretive plan for re-opening the fort to the public.

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MPPF Development funding constitutes the largest portion of program-assisted projects including stabilization, protection, rehabilitation, and restoration efforts. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Malden, significant on the local level, required masonry repointing on its front façade.

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Masonry restoration included repointing, repair, and even rebuilding of portions of the stonework and replicating cast stone trim.

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The finished project restored the beautiful façade of this locally significant church.

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The Frederick Ayer Mansion in Boston, a National Historic Landmark, received funds for the restoration of it’s front elevation. This is the only surviving Tiffany designed residential commission.

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Work included rebuilding the top of the curved bay on the front façade and restoration and replication of the mansion’s rare mosaic panels and band work.

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Restoration work of the mansion’s front façade was accomplished with the assistance of several MPPF grants.

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One representative municipal project was Northbridge Town Hall. As part of a grant-assisted project scope, the building received much-needed window restoration.

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The window sash were removed from the building, restored and re-glazed. The window frames were repaired and painted. Window specialists installed exterior storm windows to increase energy efficiency.

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Reinstallation of the fully restored and painted windows made a marked improvement to the Town Hall’s façade.

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A similar window restoration project took place at Fairhaven High School in Fairhaven.

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The historic leaded glass windows in the entrance lobbies and auditorium also required restoration and repair.

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As in Northbridge, the windows were removed, restored, and reinstalled. The successful completion of this work corrected vulnerabilities in the building’s envelope.

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Historic cultural resources in nonprofit and public ownership frequently suffer deferred maintenance, incompatible usage, and may even be threatened by demolition. Many of these sites have also undergone inappropriate alterations and poor restoration work that threaten historical and architectural integrity. Some elements may even be beyond repair.

The exterior architectural elements of the Provincetown Public Library were in extreme disrepair, presenting a clear public safety hazard. This necessitated that these elements actually needed to be removed. The building received two MPPF grants to fully restore the exterior.

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MPPF-assisted project work included the exterior restoration of the front façade and projecting pavilion. The decorative wood elements of the façade were replicated to accurately match the original design. The architectural features were reinstalled. The Library was then painted, utilizing the original paint scheme, determined through historic paint color analysis.

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The reintroduction of these distinctive features transforms the façade and restored the library to its original glory.

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The MPPF grants often serve as critical seed money to get multi-phase projects underway while also stimulating neighborhood revitalization. Funding may be used for feasibility studies and other types of building surveys that serve as invaluable tools for initiating long term planning and fundraising for historic preservation and rehabilitation projects.

The Center for the Arts in Natick, for example, was awarded an MPPF grant for an adaptive reuse plan and feasibility study for the old Natick Central Fire Station. The report covered the history of the structure, analysis of the site, a comprehensive survey of the building fabric, a program summary for use, a design narrative, an environmental review, and phased cost estimates.

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One year later the Center for the Arts was awarded an MPPF development grant to address the recommended improvements to the front façade including masonry repointing, reconstruction of the original arched doors, and window repairs.

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The historic building is now a fully functioning performing arts center.

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MPPF grants can be the pivotal first step to rehabilitating a building. The Samuel Harrison House in Pittsfield, for example, was completely uninhabitable before it was awarded money for rehabilitation. The building, the former home of Samuel Harrison, a prominent African American preacher, needed intervention.

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MPPF funds were awarded to stabilize the structure, make necessary repairs to the foundation, completely restore the siding and trim, fabricate windows to fit the appropriate openings, and paint the entire building in it’s original colors.

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The building now houses a museum and serves as meeting space for the Samuel Harrison Society.

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Arresting the start of deterioration before irreparable damage can occur to historic buildings is a top priority of the MPPF program. Of particular importance is preserving character-defining features, or those unique, distinctive architectural features that set a building apart.

The 1805 Nantucket Old Jail exhibited deterioration on its wood shingles, plaster, and interior chimney. Collectively, these elements contribute to the building’s unique design as a small jail. A rare survival from such an early period.

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As part of an MPPF-development grant, the building received a new shingle roof and new shingle siding, chimney repointing, routine repairs on windows, doors, and interior plaster, and the reconstruction of exterior stairs that originally provided access to the second floor.

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This MPPF-funded work provided necessary stabilization for the building, ensuring its structural integrity, and returned the jail to its original appearance.

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Other character-defining features may be equally identifiable as decorative features as functional elements. H. H. Richardson’s Oakes Ames Memorial Hall in Easton is a National Historic Landmark and contains many distinctive elements of Richardson’s notable style, such as rough masonry construction, massive arches, prominent chimneys and stick-style dormers.

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These distinctive decorative elements were repaired and restored in order to prevent further damage to the building.

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The end result is a striking restoration of this distinctive Richardson design.

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While obvious deterioration of historic fabric is usually easy to find, it is often the unseen problems that are critical. While some grant projects restore decorative features, many projects concentrate on structural stabilization and mitigation measures crucial to halting irreversible damage. MPPF funds allowed for critical repairs and stabilization to the framing and chimney on the Josiah Dennis Manse in Dennis.

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Due to chronic water infiltration and an unusually high water table, the stone foundation was in serious disrepair. This led to the need to temporarily lift up the house in order to properly rebuild the unstable foundation.

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Without this intervention, deterioration would have likely ruined this town-owned historic property on Cape Cod.

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In Hingham, MPPF funds assisted in the structural stabilization of the frame of Hingham’s Old Ship Meetinghouse, a National Historic Landmark.

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These repairs included steel reinforcement of the timber beams in the attic, in order to prevent further structural deficiencies.

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In Stockbridge, MPPF funds contributed to stabilizing the Dresser-Doane Merwin House museum, owned and operated by Historic New England.

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The house received a new wood shingle roof and masonry work around its chimney.

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These mitigation measures were necessary for ensuring the structural integrity of this house museum.

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Another notable transformation is that of the Fall River Waterworks.

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MPPF contributed funds to an overall construction project of $1.1 million that included masonry repointing, reinforcement of the roof framing, and window restoration.

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This municipal waterworks highlights the diversity of building use and historical sites represented by MPPF projects.

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Although the majority of development projects concern the exterior fabric, several projects have been completed on interior spaces. The John B. Gough House in Boylston received funding to completely restore and reconstruct the interior finishes within the Library and the Library Octagon addition.

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Rare period photographs were used as a guide to accurately replicate missing historical features.

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These also guided further MPPF projects that eventually restored most of the public rooms of this house. As a result of this restoration work, the completed spaces enhance visitors’ experience of this prominent temperance speaker’s home.

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Development funding may also be used for often-overlooked cultural landscapes such as historic cemeteries, such as Old Burial Hill in Marblehead.

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Over time, gravestones, monuments and tombs become damaged and need repair to protect their historic integrity.

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In Marblehead, the Town received both pre-development and development MPPF grants, to aid in the restoration of Old Burial Hill. These funds assisted with the creation of a valuable tool to guide the restoration work and actual conservation efforts. The latter included the repair and resetting of a number of grave markers that exhibited immediate need for conservation.

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This work helped to preserve the artistic and historic legacy of the Town.

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At the First Church Burying Ground in Templeton, MPPF funds were used to repair several rows of granite tombs.

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These historic tombs were constructed circa 1800 and required stabilization measures to halt further damage. The front walls of these tombs were leaning badly and needed to be taken down and rebuilt.

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This work helped restore the original integrity of the tomb and stopped water infiltration.

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In addition to gravestones and tombs, character-defining elements such as entry gates, landscape features, and walls are vulnerable to deterioration and damage from the elements, ground settlement, or even vandalism. In Brookfield, MPPF funds assisted with the restoration of the 1873 gateway to the Brookfield Cemetery.

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The initial grant was utilized to restore the granite masonry of the gateway. An additional MPPF grant went to the restoration of the iron gates.

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These two projects helped preserve this striking entry arch to the Brookfield Cemetery.

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Salem’s Common is a significant cultural landscape. Continuous public usage of the site over the years led to the deterioration of its surrounding cast iron fence.

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Rusted, broken and vandalized, entire sections of the fence were missing.

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MPPF funds have assisted with multiple phases of restoring the entire fence, repairing broken sections, restoring the iron, and fabricating missing elements.

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Restoration of the fence is an ongoing effort.

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Another MPPF-assisted project on a cultural landscape with striking results is the War Memorial Park in West Bridgewater. This unique landscape was an old mill site dating from the 17th century. The park was developed by the Works Progress Administration and was designed by local landscape architect Evaline Johnson, who incorporated the stone remains of the old mills into her creation.

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The masonry walls were severely deteriorated and intervention was needed to prevent further collapse. Contractors stabilized the fallen sections, replaced broken stones and repaired the wall.

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This work restored structural integrity to a character-defining feature of this unique cultural landscape.

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The Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund has saved community landmarks from neglect and inappropriate use by providing dollars for rehabilitation, restoration, documentation, and preservation planning.

The program has provided seed money to prime the pump and promote greater investment for larger projects. The program has also addressed serious maintenance issues before unmanageable crises occurred.

MPPF has allowed communities to carry out sensitive restorative work without losing key architectural features, often overlooked on quick deferred maintenance repair jobs. Hundreds of jobs for local contractors have been created through grant-assisted project work. Continued success of MPPF will help to preserve the past while securing jobs for the future.