The National Park Service and the State of Maine Historic Preservation Office standards for historic preservation governed the redevelopment of Bath’s Medanick Building into a flagship design studio for MSDCO. “Front Street has a significant historic core,” says Sean Ireland, owner and developer, “and with MSDCO, we wanted to demonstrate to the city what it was to do a historic preservation tax-credited project.” In most cases, this meant underscoring the building’s existing assets while modernizing its function. The soaring, two-story window feature that fronts the building was maintained in the loft space and maximized for energy efficiency. “With historic projects, the best design is often the least design,” says Sean, “and it takes a seasoned designer like Brett to put the building at the center—not himself.”
Recognizing the architects, builders, designers, and innovators who turned convention inside out in 2023
