JSA Design is a member of the design and construction team receiving a 2021 Preservation Achievement Award from the NH Preservation Alliance for work on Carey Cottage at Creek Farm, a historic property in Portsmouth. Carey Cottage was one of seven rescue, revitalization and rehabilitation projects spotlighted by the Preservation Alliance during its May 12 awards announcement. “These are the kinds of places we can’t imagine New Hampshire without, and we want to recognize the people who have worked to save and revive these landmarks,” says Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the Preservation Alliance.
“The restoration of Carey Cottage has been an incredibly meaningful project for JSA,” says Tracy Kozak, JSA principal. “This historic building is a backbone of Portsmouth. Ensuring that the building’s safety, usefulness, and durability continue long into the future reinforces our commitment to community heritage and cultural resources. We are so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this visionary team.”
Carey Cottage, built between 1888-1892 as a summer home for Portsmouth philanthropist Arthur Astor Carey, was slated for demolition until a community campaign to save it led to a partnership between a local philanthropist and a developer to restore the historic building in 2020. The Arts & Crafts-style structure is a premier example of Gilded Age, shingle-style architecture in New Hampshire, and the only remaining intact building in the state designed by Boston architect Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr.
Restoration included addressing structural needs, improving the building envelope, unobtrusively incorporating new mechanical systems and repairing windows and wooden finishes. Apartments on the second floor were upgraded for continued residential use. First-floor rooms that had been converted into apartments became offices for non-profit start-ups. Now owned by The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the cottage is home to several nonprofit organizations including GoodWork, a nonprofit incubator.
JSA’s design work on Carey Cottage has also been recognized with the 2021 Rick and Duffy Monahon Merit Award for Design Excellence in Architectural Restoration and Preservation from the American Institute of Architects – New Hampshire and an 2020 Advocates Award from the Portsmouth Advocates, a local preservation group.
