WESTPORT — Ed Gerber, past president of the Westport Historical Society and former vice chair of the Historic District Commission, hopes to see more historic homes saved throughout Connecticut’s cities.
Thus, in partnership with the nonprofit Historic New England, he has established the Edward F. Gerber Urban Preservation Fund, which aims to support to historic residential property owners in Connecticut’s urban areas.
“This fund is a great way to help homeowners all over Connecticut learn about Historic New England and everything it has to offer,” said Gerber, who was born in Bridgeport and raised throughout the state.
He is a current member of the board of trustees of this preservation group, which is the oldest in the country and has been in operation for over 100 years.
Eligible properties for the fund must be in Bridgeport, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury or West Haven.
“A lot of the energy in urban areas is from people investing in and restoring older houses,” Gerber said.
According to Vin Cipolla, president and CEO of Historic New England, an annual $10,000 grant to a private homeowner can play a large role in obtaining the specialized material and services to maintain and a restore an older home.
“Ed’s gift aligns perfectly with the goals in Historic New England’s new strategic plan,” he said. “It is an excellent move forward in broadening how we support historic preservation and community livability throughout the region.”
Learn more about the grant and Historic New England at this link: https://www.historicnewengland.org/.
Ed Gerber is terrific in his efforts to preserve historic homes, including his own. I say historic, not old, because a home or building can be historic and not that old. Thanks to the Westport Journal for this story.
Don Bergmann