2000 Preservation Awards

Designed by architect John Windrim and constructed in 1893 as executive offices, state library and museum, this grand beaux arts structure is the oldest surviving government building on Pennsylvania's Capitol Hill.  The building was professionally restored in 1998 and adapted for contemporary offices, with the magnificent entrance stair, scagliola, finishes, and many spaces retained.  Furniture compatible with 19th century interiors was custom designed and fabricated for current usage.

This magnificent Back Bay mansion was constructed in 1894 for the Sears family from designs by the architectural firm of Peabody & Stearns.  After many uses, owners, and modifications, it was purchased by the College of Optometry in 1971.  The facade, ground floor and staircase were beautifully restored in 1998.  Especially noted was the painstaking restoration of the original painted burlap wall covering and the stained glass dome above the grand stair.

Constructed in 1890 for local lumber baron Martin Pattison, this 42-room Queen Anne mansion stood for many years as the grandest home in Superior.  A children's home for over 40 years, it was much abused until purchased by the City of Superior in 1963.  In 1998 it was restored at a cost of $1.6 million and opened to the public as a house museum with appropriate period furnishings and as offices for the Douglas County Historical Society on the upper floors.  VSA Board member Robert Furhoff participated in the restoration.

This villa, constructed in 1861 and designed by architect Calvert Vaux, was included in Vaux' 1864 edition of his influential book, Villas and Cottages.  Built for Francis Tomes, the 22-room house is the only structure designed by Vaux in the Second Empire style and one of only two surviving Vaux structures in Connecticut.  Purchased as a rectory by the Episcopal Church next door in 1963, the house was narrowly saved from demolition on two occasions (the VSA Preservation Officer in 1978 wrote in support of saving the house), and was restored by the church in 1998 at a cost of $2.3 million, at which time the interior was converted into meeting rooms and apartments.