May is National Historic Preservation Month and the Brevard Heritage Council, Brevard County's oldest organization dedicated to historic preservation, celebrated it by hosting their annual awards evening on May 12th to recognize those individuals who have restored any type of historic structure in Brevard County. Many of these projects were not started and completed within the last year, but they are honored in the year they are "done." And I say "done" as anyone who has ever restored an old structure knows that it is pretty hard to ever been done working on them! As you may or may not know, there are no grants or public monies available for those restoring a private home and due to very few local ordinances there are few restrictions on what can be done to historic structures in the area. As a result almost all historic preservation work is done by private individuals using their own funds and knowledge. The Heritage Council, which rents the historic City Point Church from the County, has for many years honored these brave individuals for their hard work and dedication in saving such wonderful examples of our local history.
The board members of the Brevard Heritage Council nominate properties from all parts of the county which are then photographed, documented and then submitted for judging. And yes they are open to suggestions! Only the exteriors are judged and the Council awards either a Banner Award or a Heritage Award based on various criteria. In general the structures that receive a Banner Award have to be pretty close to perfect, and in near original condition. This typically means original siding, windows, roofing material, no additions etc. The Heritage Award recognizes a property that has been renovated and maintained to a high degree and is a credit to its community.
Various experts have been asked to judge the entries over the years and this year I was asked to be the judge. Below are photographs of the properties honored.
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| HERITAGE AWARD 310 Orange St., Titusville, FL Folk Victorian Style |
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| BANNER AWARD 35 Barton Ave., Rockledge, FL Queen Anne Style |
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| BANNER AWARD 45 Barton Ave., Rockledge, FL Folk Victorian Style |
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| BANNER AWARD 3543 N. Indian River Drive, Cocoa, FL Monterey Style |
All of the property owners have done a wonderful job and are to be congratulated!!
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