The past was brought back into focus in Burlington last week when the city presented two sets of property owners with the Minetree Pyne award for historic preservation.
Named for a prime mover behind Burlington’s historic preservation program, this annual honor recognizes the efforts of people who breathe new life into period properties that have fallen into disrepair.
This year’s recipients were Lynn and Tom Cowan, who have revamped an old mill house at 2451 Glencoe Street, and Jeff Wilkins, the owner of a remodeled storefront at 341 South Main Street.
Both sets of winners were formally recognized by Burlington’s city council on Tuesday while Brian Pennington, the chairman of Burlington’s historic preservation commission, sent them home with commemorative plaques.
Wilkins accepted his own plaque that evening alongside Chuck Braxton, the co-owner of Sursy, a “houseplant boutique” that now inhabits the renovated storefront.
The property owner went on to use his time in the limelight to thank the council for a small grants program that he insisted has been crucial to the preservation of historic buildings in the city’s downtown business district.
“This has been the difference maker for a lot of projects down there,” he said. “It can mean the difference between a go and a no-go on those projects.”
