Please make your pledge or contribution today!
Imagine Main Street, Kennebunk without the historic First Parish building and steeple. Then, please make the most generous contribution you can to the First Parish Preservation Foundation.We welcome all gifts, and have established these special recognition categories:
Surveyor ............................... $100-$249
Steeplejack ........................... $250-$499
Architect ................................ $500-$999
Historian........................... $1,000-$4,999
Steward........................... $5,000-$9,999
Master Builder.............. $10,000-$24,999
Preservationist .......................... $25,000+
Please make checks payable to the First Parish Preservation Foundation, and send to
First Parish Preservation Foundation. P.O. Box 235, Kennebunk, ME 04043
*** Please click on this link to access and then print the donation form. ***
FPPF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and contributions are tax deductible, as provided by law.
Thank you for your support!
Foundation Report November 2010
Please read the letter by the Directors sent out in November of 2010 to all of our friends in the community who donated to the First parish Preservation Foundation appeal and an invitation for others to add their names to the list of contributors. This letter includes a project list.
Our Challenge
- 20,000 linear feet of
original clapboards with the original
square nails
- 500 panes of leaded
glass windows
- 16,000 square feet of horsehair plaster
in ceilings and walls
- And two and a half centuries of wear - imagine the upkeep if this were your house!
If you’ve ever owned an older home, you can probably guess that keeping up First Parish Church is a big job. In recent years, the church has undertaken renovations and repairs on a heroic scale (see “Our History of Stewardship” page), thanks to the generous support of the congregation and community at large totaling more than $1 million.
However, much work will continue to be needed over the years to come. The following list is representative of the projects that will be required to maintain this historic structure:
• Maintaining the painted exterior clapboards
and shutters
• Enhancing the visibility of and access to
the clock mechanism
• Making energy-efficiency enhancements
that do not conflict with the historic
preservation mission
• Restoring the historic hearse house, one of
only two remaining in Maine
• Improvements needed to meet current
standards for fire safety and accessibility
Further, we recognize that the small, independent congregation, Unitarian Universalist, cannot bear the entire financial burden of maintaining the building. That’s why leaders of the congregation and the community have come together to form the First Parish Preservation Foundation, with a common goal of preserving this unique exemplar of our town’s character.