Preservation Awards
Each year, Historic Wilmington Foundation honors the very special people enacting our mission through exemplary preservation efforts through adaptive reuse, rehabilitation, and restoration.
Preservation Awards Ceremony
Date: Date TBD, 2027
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Historic New Hanover County Courthouse Building
Address: 24 N. 3rd St, Wilmington, NC 28401
Join us at the Historic Courthouse Building for our annual Preservation Awards Ceremony. This free event is open to the public and serves as a tribute to those who ensure our city’s living past remains a meaningful, vibrant part of our future. If you are passionate about local history and the soul of our community, we invite you to help us celebrate our winners!
Award Categories
ADAPTIVE REUSE
definition: a building that is preserved through a new use that maximizes the retention of distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial relationships
- Judging Criteria: National Park Service Standards for Preservation
INTERIOR PRESERVATION
definition: interior scopes of work that preserve the historic character of a property by maximizing the retention of distinctive materials, features, finishes, construction techniques, spaces, and spatial relationships
- Judging Criteria: Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Preservation
REHABILITATION
definition: a building that is repaired and/or altered while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values; features may include, but are not limited to, porch columns, siding, balustrades, windows, and stairs
- Judging Criteria: National Park Service Standards for Rehabilitation
Past Winners of HWF’s Preservation Awards
RESTORATION
definition: a building that accurately reflects the form, features, and character of the building as it appeared at a particular period of time by replacing missing elements, removing later elements, and limiting modern upgrades required to make the property functional
- Judging Criteria: National Park Service Standards for Restoration
APPROPRIATE NEW CONSTRUCTION
definition: a new construction that maintains a visual distinction between old and new while maintaining a respect for the character, mass, and materials of the adjacent historic buildings
AWARD OF MERIT
The Award of Merit honors an entity or endeavor that is not a piece of built history (i.e., a film, event, or website).
GEORGE W. EDWARDS AWARD
The George W. Edwards Award honors a volunteer, intern, or staff member demonstrating exemplary integrity and commitment on behalf of local preservation.
BEVERLY TETTERTON AWARD
The Beverly Tetterton Award honors a group or individual for their significant scholarly and public contributions to the study, preservation, interpretation, and documentation of local history, architecture, records, and archives.
KATHERINE HOWELL AWARD
The Katherine Howell Award recognizes someone for their leadership and significant contributions to the Historic Wilmington Foundation mission and, consequently, greatly furthering the cause of preservation in the Lower Cape Fear region.
DAVID BRINKLEY AWARD
The David Brinkley Award honors extraordinary preservation work of large scale, scope and effort.
THOMAS & ELIZABETH WRIGHT AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
The Thomas & Elizabeth Wright Award for Lifetime Achievement recognizes someone for lifelong dedication to historic preservation in the Lower Cape Fear Region.