Two Litchfield County properties to receive awards

Register Citizen staff

The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced its annual Connecticut Preservation Awards, recognizing outstanding preservation projects and people who have made significant contributions to the preservation of Connecticut’s historic buildings and places.

The awards will be presented at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Edmond Town Hall in Newtown.

Among the recipients are George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis, who will receive the Trustees’ Award for Stewardship, for their reclamation and reactivation of Arethusa Farm in Litchfield.

“The 2018 Connecticut Trust awards program is a joyful event recognizing people and projects that make Connecticut a better place to live,” said Wes Haynes, director of external partnerships, in a written statement.

“The visions and hard work behind each award are triumphant success stories of historic preservation’s value in our local economies and cultural life.”

Trustees’ Award For Stewardship recipients Malkemus and Yurgaitis “have preserved 300 acres of agricultural land with numerous historic houses and barns, rehabilitated historic commercial buildings in the village of Bantam, stimulated strong visitor traffic, and created 250 jobs on the farm and in the production, wholesale, and retail chain. according to the release.

“Arethusa is exemplary as compatible economic development in a place with a strong agricultural identity and as a stewardship engine to protect historic resources and character.”

The trust’s annual Merit Awards include the restoration of the Rufus Stillman Cottage in Litchfield and the historic rehabilitation of the old Southern New England Telephone building in New Milford.

Recipients of the Rufus Stillman Cottage restoration award include Kenneth Sena and Joseph Mazzaferro; Cutting Edge Construction; Alpha Plumbing and Heating Services Inc.; and Elegant Lighting.

Recipients of the merit award for the restoration of the AMEICO building (Southern New England Telephone Company building) include AMEICO Inc., Daniel Lamb, Glenn Hochstetter and Heritage Resources.

Trust official;s said the Ameico project “proves that rehabilitation can be accomplished by clients with no preservation experience, but with vision, perseverance and a skilled team.”

For more information, contact Erin Marchitto, Communications Manager, Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation at 203562-6312; or email emarchitto@cttrust.org