I came across this scene in remote Aroostook County, Maine a few years ago which caught my attention. I’ve always had an interest in abandoned architecture so I proceeded to set up my camera to shoot this dilapidated house. As I was setting up, I began to study the house more carefully and realized what a chore someone was taking on. It was clear that it was in the process of being restored as evidenced by the work being done to build a new foundation. Since the house was in such tough shape and not an obvious architectural treasure it made me wonder why someone would go to the trouble of rebuilding it? It looked like it was going to have to be re worked from top to bottom, and it just didn’t seem like a house that was worth the effort. Perhaps it had historical value that I was unaware of, but it may also have simply been a labor of love for someone. Many times I’ve seen tremendous effort and expense go into rebuilding a structure that was a very good candidate for destruction and have learned later that there was a strong emotional connection to the place that was driving the rebuild. I’ll never know what the motivation was in the case of this Aroostook County house, but it illustrates that some things are worth saving even if no one else understands why.

More restorations:

Restoring the Abiah Taylor House

Restoring Montpelier’s Exterior

Keep Craft Alive: Jon Day, Restoration Carpenter

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