Skip Navigation and go to content

You may be using a browser that will cause viewing problems on our web site... please visit our browser upgrade page to learn more.

Museum of Art, Studzinski Recital Hall, Part of Historic Preservation Month Activities

Story posted April 30, 2008

The Brunswick Village Review Board has planned a series of activities for the month of May in observance of National Historic Preservation Month. Guided tours of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, and Studzinski Recital Hall and Kanbar Auditorium will be part of the slate of activities for Friday, May 2, 2008.

"Look Up, Look Down, Look In!" is the theme of this year's celebration. Activities are designed to highlight elements of Brunswick's architectural and historic heritage that you may not notice unless you look up, down or in. A photo contest, walking tours, and a scavenger hunt are among the offerings.

A "Look In!" event launches the month here on campus, with insider tours of two recently renovated buildings. From 2 to 2:30 p.m., Friday, May 2, Bowdoin College Director of Capital Projects Don Borkowski will lead a tour of the new Studzinski Recital Hall and its stunning Kanbar Auditorium. The new recital hall, which opened last May, is located in the former Curtis Pool building, originally designed in 1927 by noted architects McKim, Mead and White.

The Bowdoin tour will continue across the Quad at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, constructed in 1894 and also designed by McKim, Mead and White. Borkowski will serve as guide through the building, which recently underwent an extensive 27-month renovation, focusing on the historical and architectural aspects of the renovation project. At 3:45 p.m., following a 15-minute refreshments break, Director of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art Katy Kline will give a tour of the art collection. She will also discuss how the renovation has changed the museum's approach to its collections. Space in this tour is limited to 25 people. To be sure of a place on the tour, pre-register with the Brunswick Planning Department, 725-6660, or jfortune@brunswickme.org.

Off-campus Historic Preservation Month events continue on Saturday, May 17, at 1:30 p.m., with a "Look Down!" event: An Overview of Brunswick's Prehistoric & Historic Archeological Sites, exploring the banks of the Androscoggin River for vestiges of Brunswick's industrial history, as well as other traces of its historic and prehistoric past. The tour will begin in the theater at the Frontier Cafe in Fort Andross, where guides Fred Koerber and Brooks Stoddard will offer a slide introduction before heading outdoors to see what traces of the past can still be envisioned along the riverbanks. Fred Koerber is a long-time Brunswick High School history teacher who has taught classes in archaeology and directed excavations at sites in Brunswick. Village Review Board member Brooks Stoddard is a professor of art and architectural history at UMA and for many years has directed an archeological excavation of a medieval abbey in southern France.

The next event is a "Look Up!" Walking Tour of Downtown Brunswick, on Saturday, May 31, at 10 a.m. The tour will focus on interesting architectural features of downtown Brunswick that you may walk past every day without noticing unless you . . . look up!

Two Historic Preservation Month activities will be ongoing throughout the month of May.

First is a Photo Contest on display in the west entryway of the Curtis Memorial Library May 4-25. The contest, sponsored by the Village Review Board in conjunction with the Brunswick Department of Recreation and the Times Record, will include photos that explore the "Look Up!" theme. Entries are due May 2. Entry forms may be obtained at the Brunswick Recreation Center or the Planning Office at Town Hall on Federal Street. The winning photos will be published in the Times Record.

Finally, the Village Review Board is collaborating with the Times-Record on a Look Up! Scavenger Hunt, which will run in the paper throughout the month of May. The Times Record will run photographs of architectural features from around Brunswick that you must look up to notice. Participants in the hunt must identify the location of each item. A prize will be awarded to the person with the most correct identifications. Instructions on how to play the game will be included in the photo spread in the Times Record.

For more information about all events, contact the Brunswick Planning Dept., 725-6660.

The Village Review Board is a volunteer citizen board appointed by the Town Council and charged with maintaining the historical and architectural integrity of the downtown historic district through design review, landmark designation, and educational programs.

« Back | « Go to Featured Events | Go to Events Calendar