Maine Preservation, a statewide nonprofit advocacy organization, has added Maine Lighthouse Stations to its annual list of the Most Endangered Historic Places in Maine.

The 2024 list of Most Endangered Historic Places calls attention to five places significant to Mainers that are facing challenging circumstances that stand in the way of their continued existence. Nominations came in from across the state, with those places requiring the greatest need making the final list. 

"The endangered list is intended to highlight and amplify local efforts to protect our built heritage, from communities in central Maine whipping up votes to save town halls to a Downeast cultural institution seeking support to repair and repurpose an iconic church," said Maine Preservation, in a news release.

 Question #3 on November's ballot.

This year’s list also sounds the alarm on two matters of a different scale. The recent pair of winter storms that wreaked havoc along the coast calls into question the fate of Maine’s 66 beloved light stations. Meanwhile the reclassification of a historic building as a means for demolition will establish a dangerous precedent that jeopardizes the efficacy and value of Portland’s historic districts.  

“As we recognize five places that are facing costly repairs, structural failures, and community disagreement, we also want to highlight two emerging concerns that threaten a collection of significant coastal landmarks and the historic fabric of our state’s largest city,” explained Tara Kelly, Executive Director of Maine Preservation. “Throughlines exist across our list, allowing us to tap into our experience, preservation partners, and supporters to effect change.”

"Intentionally built in harm’s way—on low-lying peninsulas and small outcroppings along the most dangerous parts of Maine’s waterways—our state’s historic light stations are more threatened than ever," said the Preservation. "Earlier this year, storms ravaged our coastline and left immense damage to light stations in their wake, underscoring the constant and increasing risk these maritime monuments face. But Maine’s light stations can be repaired, prepared, and adapted."

The other four 2024 Most Endangered Historic Places in Maine are: 

Central Congregational Church
Even though it’s regarded as one of the finest ecclesiastical examples of Federal-style architecture in the state, and among the greatest accomplishments of local architect and builder Daniel Low, the 1829 Central Congregational Church faces an uncertain future. In 2016, the Tides Institute & Museum of Art accepted the donation of the church after the dwindling congregation found its growing list of repair needs economically infeasible. An assessment found a collapsing foundation, failing sections of timber framing, and need for a full painting campaign. Compounding the physical problems, a new use for the building has yet to be identified.  

Eagle Island State Historic Site
The National Historic Landmark was the summer home of arctic explorer Admiral Robert E. Peary, credited with being the first person to reach the North Pole. The State of Maine was gifted the island from his family in 1967 and has operated it as a historic site ever since. The site was closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, triggering a series of unfortunate events that have left the home unsafe and the island virtually inaccessible following the destruction of its pier in a recent winter storm.  

Kneisel Hall
The small, unassuming wood-frame building in Blue Hill was erected in 1922 as part of a burgeoning school and performance space for summering musicians that is now regarded as the cradle of chamber music teaching in America. Decades of seasonal use and hotter summers now demand significant attention be given to repairs and upgrades. The small nonprofit now needs to raise funds and weigh how to preserve both the hall’s live acoustics and its storied walls.   

Sangerville Town Hall
After being deemed unsafe by their insurance provider, the Town of Sangerville had to vacate their amazingly intact, 1902 Colonial Revival-style building. Voters were given two options: sell the building and erect a new town office elsewhere or repair the landmark and revive it as the civic hub of the community. The vote overwhelmingly supported preserving the structure, but it comes at an enormous price tag and there are limited funding resources available.  

Starling Hall
Starling Hall was dedicated on March 8, 1879, making it one of the first purpose-built Grange halls in the state. The Town of Fayette has owned the former civic hall since the Grange disbanded in 1986, and has partnered with the nonprofit, Friends of Starling Hall, to rehabilitate and use it for community-facing purposes since 2015. The successful public-private partnership has been a locally contentious issue, with a vocal group of residents opposed to further use of public funds who have triggered a referendum to require the town sell the building. 

142 Free Street
The Portland Museum of Art’s proposal to reclassify 142 Free Street as a non-contributing resource in the Congress Street Historic District and the subsequent overruling of the Historic Review and Planning Boards by City Council set a dangerous precedent for other designated properties across the city. The museum can be both a steward of historic architecture and a supporter of contemporary design by incorporating the existing, character-defining features of 142 Free Street into the modern expansion of their campus, following the same design review process in place since 1990.

About the Most Endangered Historic Places List
The Most Endangered Historic Places List began in 1996 for the purpose of identifying and raising public awareness about preserving threatened historic properties. Sites previously listed and successfully rehabilitated include the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Old Surry Village Schoolhouse, Abijah Buck House in Buckfield, Readfield Union Meeting House, and Wood Island Lifesaving Station in Kittery, which celebrated its grand opening this summer. However, several sites remain threatened, including McCurdy’s Smokehouse, a relic of the sardine industry threatened by rising tides and deteriorated wood pilings in Lubec.

About Maine Preservation
Founded in 1972, Maine Preservation is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving historic places, buildings, downtowns, and neighborhoods–strengthening the cultural and economic vitality of Maine communities.