Maine Preservation, the statewide nonprofit historic preservation organization, is offering six summer Fellowship positions for historic preservation students in conjunction with the preservation trades and professions. Fellowships span approximately nine weeks in the summer, split between hands-on site work with a trades or professional firm and organizational work at Maine Preservations statewide headquarters. Five weeks of trades work will be compensated full time at $10 per hour. Four weeks of service at Maine Preservations headquarters is unpaid.

Fellows will be placed with Preservation Timber Framing, Consigli Construction or Bagala Window Works. (Other trades firms, including dry masonry and building engineering, have expressed interest, and their involvement will be posted here in the coming weeks.)

Preservation Timber Framing is headed by Arron Sturgis, the current President of Maine Preservations Board of Trustees, whose firm generally repairs and restores 17th, 18th, and 19th century barns, steeples, museums and homes. Maine Preservation Trustee Matt Tonello, an engineer, is the Project Executive at Consigli Construction for the state of Maine, which rehabilitates large-scale historic commercial buildings like mills, hospitals, churches and courthouses in New England. Bagala Window Works has been restoring historic windows and doors from houses, churches, commercial blocks -- and any place that has antique windows -- since 1988. Bagala designed and manufactures their own large-scale steam stripping machine. Duties at the trade/professional sites will be according to skill set and available projects at the time.

Responsibilities at Maine Preservations headquarters will include assistance with research and professional writing (press releases, etc.), event and advocacy orchestration, and general assistance in the office. Fellows will receive education about building restoration to practice and apply at Maine Preservations headquarters, the historic Captain Reuben Merrill House (1858). Benefits of a Fellowship include introduction to the preservation field, both of the tangible applications of construction and repair, and of the program, policy and advocacy side of preservation, including the financial models available for developers and the latest best practices on green rehab.  Fellows will be introduced to the preservation professionals community, policy makers, preservation consultants, supporters and donors, and allied organizations in the field. Fellows will gain important practical knowledge of how preservation businesses run and how preservation nonprofits function.

An academic or professional background in preservation is encouraged and some experience related to the professional or trades placement is advantageous. Several Maine Preservation Fellows have gained post-grad employment through Maine Preservation contacts, although, Maine Preservation does not have paid positions available following the Fellowship at this time. Housing and transportation will be the responsibility of the Fellow, but Maine Preservation is inquiring about local housing options for Fellows without a Maine connection. Maine Preservation is located at 233 West Main Street above the Yarmouth village, 10 miles northeast of Portland on the highway. Transportation will also be required to get to the trades site each day, which can be up to an hour away from Portland (carpooling is common, but not guaranteed).