NEWBURYPORT — In a few weeks, one of the city's few surviving 18th century brick mercantile buildings will be made to look even older.
"It will be what it needs to be," said Dean Wills, executive director of the Newburyport Art Association. "We will have cedar shakes, so historically, it will look even more original."
Coinciding with Newburyport Preservation activities, The Newburyport Art Association building at 65 Water St., will soon have a new facade, roof and chimney.
"This has been a long time coming with a lot of people putting in a lot of time before I even came on board," Wills said.
Past NAA presidents and board members, such as Skip and Marge Motes and Al Moskowitz, have worked for two years securing money and a preservation restriction agreement with the state Historical Commission.
"If they hadn't been driving the bus for a long time, we wouldn't be starting this," Wills said.
Already, workers can be seen refinishing the front of the small building. Richard Irons, a restoration mason, will use bricks from his private collection dating back to the 1800s to fit the building with. Lime mortar will be used to hold the bricks in place.
"We set in the agreement to keep the building as is, as one of the few last ones of its type in the city," Wills said. "It will be unaltered and unruined."
Dating back to 1795, the NAA building was a factory in Newburyport's Federalist era. In later years, when fortunes waned, the building stood vacant. Tenants came and went — a grocer was there at one point, and in the 1960s, it was home to the Idle Hour Pool Room. Finally, the art association bought it and fixed it up.
During the 1970s, the art association was staffed by members who volunteered their time and talents.
"We want to secure the building for the future whether the NAA is here or not," Wills said. "This building will be as is. It has value and is a wonderful treasure for the city."
The estimated $100,000 restoration will be done in phases, as Wills and the NAA did not want to inundate the city's Community Preservation Committee with requests for funding.
"We will renovate in phases because it's fair to everyone instead of going to the CPC and seeking all the funding at once," Wills said.
The sides of the building will be updated, including the door and window frames. Work on the roof and chimney will be done in the coming weeks.
Relying on local foundations and donors, NAA fundraised exactly half of the money needed for restoration.
"Instead of going for $25,000 for the front of the building from the (Community Preservation Act), we raised $12,500 and then got $12,500 from the CPA.
Founded in 1948 by the late Sam Sargent, the association was a group hoping to "stimulate creative efforts and interests" for the area by holding art exhibitions and sponsoring lectures. Over the years, it found new venues, but none were long-term. It moved from Threadneedle Alley to 12 State St. In 1968, urban renewal forced it to move again. It began holding meetings at the YWCA. In 1969, the association used member donations and a building fund to purchase the run-down pool hall for about $14,000, and began rehabbing it.
The move was at the forefront of the downtown restoration surge Newburyport was just beginning to embark on.
"This renovation not only coincides with preservation week but also with our 60th anniversary," Wills said. "We are extremely excited, and though it's a little inconvenient as far as getting by and in the building, it's important we do this to maintain the building."
NAA will continue its regular schedule of gallery hours and workshops throughout the renovation.
Funding for the restoration project was made possible through the CPA, the H. Patterson Hale Jr. Charitable Foundation, the Newburyport Area Industrial Development Foundation and the Mary Alice Arakelian Charitable Foundation.
