The City of Havre de Grace announced today the Havre de Grace Cultural Center at the Opera House received a Maryland Preservation Award for Project Excellence: Community Impact from the Maryland Historical Trust at the 43rd Maryland Preservation Awards ceremony held in Annapolis.
According to the Maryland Historical Trust, the Preservation Awards “are the highest level of recognition for historic preservation, heritage education, and community development projects in the state.” The category of Project Excellence is awarded to projects that “demonstrate superlative historic preservation standards.”
Renovation of the Havre de Grace Cultural Center at the Opera House began in 2014 with funding provided from numerous private and public sources. In 2016, The Martin Administration fast-tracked the completion of the renovations after the citizens of Havre de Grace overwhelmingly supported a bond bill through voter referendum. “We are dedicated to the infusion of cultural arts throughout our community,” said Mayor William T. Martin. “It’s a great honor to receive this award on behalf of the citizens of Havre de Grace. It was our community’s collective voice and determination that brought The Havre de Grace Cultural Center at the Opera House to fruition.”
The recently opened Cultural Center at the Opera House will serve more than 20,000 people annually. It will bring the highest quality entertainment to our community and the region. “It was an honor to work with the Maryland Historic Trust to make a 19th century building come alive again as a 21st century state of the art performing arts center,” said William Price, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Havre de Grace Arts Collective.