SALEM — A father and son who restored a house on Castle Hill, the developers of the old Salem Jail, and a Beverly real estate firm that has played a major role in the downtown were honored last night at Historic Salem Inc.'s 2011 preservation awards ceremony.
In a ceremony at the National Park Service Visitor Center, the private historic preservation organization cited eight projects and individuals.
Joshua Levesque and his father, Robert Jr., the owner of American Steeple and Tower, were cited for the most dramatic transformation — restoration of the William Fregeau House at 268 Jefferson Ave., which had been vacant for a dozen years. Joshua Levesque bought the property four years ago.
As part of a total interior and exterior renovation, they put on new siding and trim that closely resemble the original home, which was more than a century old.
Other preservation awards honored the National Park Service for its construction of Pedrick Storehouse on Derby Wharf, using original timbers from the 1777 building; Barbara Taylor and John Hermanski for replacing the roof, windows and other exterior features on the Solomon Chaplin House, 5 Monroe St.; and The Brookhouse, 180 Derby St., for restoration of 121 windows.
Also honored were the Salem Witch Museum, for restoring the masonry walls of the former East Church, a Gothic Revival structure built in the 1840s; New Boston Ventures for turning the old Salem Jail into modern housing; Salem State University for transforming an old Sylvania plant into the Bertolon School of Business; and Bill Goldberg and Goldberg Property Management of Beverly for its acquisition and restoration of buildings throughout the downtown.
Former Salem Mayor Samuel Zoll was honored posthumously for stopping urban renewal and saving the historic downtown during the 1960s. Also honored was attorney Bill Tinti, who served on the Salem Redevelopment Authority under Zoll, who died last month.
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