When it comes to maintaining the integrity of the many historic structures, architect Peter McDonald and the Eastham Historical Commission haven’t always seen eye to eye.
But unlike many in higher places of authority, McDonald and the commission have managed to find compromise on these projects, and the results have often been pleasing to all involved.
That’s why Chairman J. Holden Camp and the rest of the Eastham Historical Commission paid a surprise visit to McDonald’s office last month to present him with the George H. Abbott Preservation Award “in recognition of outstanding architectural achievement in keeping with the historic integrity of Eastham’s heritage.”
The Abbott Award is typically given to a home where the owners have done the best that they can do to preserve and keep the integrity of the house. Abbott, who died in 2004, was an Eastham historian responsible for obtaining National Historic status for several Eastham landmarks, and a member of the group that created the Eastham Historic Commission.