Windows Matter

BWW Team

Glass Removal

Glazing Project

Reuben Merrill House (Maine Preservation Headquarters)

Merrill House

Queen Anne window prior to removal

Raeanne, graduate student, tells us about what she learned in Maine.

“My internship was very unique, as it was actually two internships combined into one. Each summer, Maine Preservation in Yarmouth, ME selects four summer fellows to work in their office headquarters for the first five weeks. Following these weeks, the fellows are then transferred to a historic trades firm for the remaining four weeks. The placement for the trades firms are usually random, and typically labor intensive.

In the first five weeks at Maine Preservation’s headquarters on Yarmouth’s Main Street, I was given various researching tasks pertaining to the condition of buildings previously placed on the Most Endangered Buildings List to see if progress had been made. I then compiled my essays into a series which will be used for publicity by Maine Preservation in future publications. My second project dealt with updating Maine Preservation’s Historic Tax Credit Table, which documents every property within their jurisdiction that have been approved for federal or state historic tax credits. This involved the careful analysis of the project’s certification applications, rehabilitation expenses, accessed tax values, and new construction costs to determine if the project was initiated/completed, moving towards initiation, or not initiated. In all, I felt that this portion of the fellowship really put the things I learned in my built environment classes to the test.

The final four weeks of my fellowship were spent at Bagala Window Works in Westbrook, ME where I learned the procedures for sash restoration. Each day, I was placed in a different station to shadow and work beside experienced craftsmen and artisans. Although the work was physically rigorous, I felt a great sense of pride each day with my own products. Through the course of my time with BWW, I not only learned the restoration process (sash removal, glass removal, stripping, sanding, priming, detailing, glazing, glass cutting, and painting), but I was able to shadow the owner of the company to gain firsthand experience with business management, estimating, and customer service.

This fellowship opened my eyes to how vast the career field is for building preservation, because there really is something for anyone with an interest. I feel that this experience has prepared me for my first steps into the real world following graduation, and has gifted me with a greater sense of optimism and accomplishment.”