ATHENS — The 1817 Brick Meetinghouse in Athens is a recipient of a 2023 Historic Preservation Grant. Established in 1986, the state-funded Historic Preservation Grant Program helps municipalities and nonprofit organizations rehabilitate the historic buildings that are a vital part of Vermont's downtowns, villages, and rural communities, as well as its iconic landscape. Since its inception, the program has provided over $6 million to support over 600 historic community building preservation projects.
This is the second state grant award for the Athens Meetinghouse, which will enable continued progress on the needed work to preserve and bring back to life this beautiful historic landmark.
Full or partial bids are now being accepted for preservation and moisture mitigation work to occur over the upcoming year. This historic preservation project is funded in part through a matching grant from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, along with dedicated donations and fundraising through the Athens Historic Preservation Society.
All work must meet the federal Secretary of Interior standards for rehabilitation. Bid documents will be made available to qualified bidders upon request. All bids are due Monday, May 1, by 1 p.m. Interested contractors seeking more information or wishing to schedule a site visit should contact committee chair Sherry Maher at 802-275-2835 or [email protected].
Anyone wishing to help support this and future restoration work on this historic gem can send a tax deductible donation noting Meetinghouse Project to the Athens Historic Preservation Society, P.O. Box 431, Townshend, VT 05353.