BATH

Bath’s well-loved Customs House will hold a reception today from 3 to 5 p.m. to celebrate the completion of a seven-month project to restore 75 window sashes.

The Bath Customs House project “is an excellent and transferable demonstration how Maine’s multitude of 19th-century buildings can be rehabilitated to meet 21st-century expectations for function, reduced energy consumption and user comfort,” said Andrew Deci, Bath’s planning and development director. “The city is thrilled to ‘walk the talk’ through improving its own properties and thereby leading by example.”

Originally, the site was the home and shipyard of William King, Maine’s first governor.

In 1852, Ammi Burnham Young, the first supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, designed the U.S. Custom House and Post Office to match Bath’s mid- 19th century prominence.

Completed in 1858, the building was three bays deep; in 1912, the rear wall was preserved and re-erected after the building was enlarged by two-fifths. In 1975, a new post office was built on Washington Street, and the building on Front Street was transferred to the city. Today, it houses the offices of several companies.

“The Customs House is one of Bath’s most significant buildings for three important reasons: architecture, location and heritage,” said Denis Lachman, principal at Lachman Architects & Planners, the project architect. “Architecturally, it is a physically stunning and exceptionally well-constructed building — an excellent example of 19thcentury values that invested quality into buildings for civic purposes.”

The building has been maintained; however, time and exposure have taken their toll, especially on the windows, which are one of the most visible yet vulnerable features.

The monumentally-scaled windows which provided valuable natural light prior to the widespread use of artificial light, remain intact yet are worn with compromised functionality.

According to Deci, the challenge was to return all historic windows to fully intact and structurally-sound condition; ensure their function and ease of use so as to improve the comfort of tenant users; and reduce air infiltration, energy loss and water infiltration.

The city sought funds from the Communities for Maine’s Future grant program and issued a bond for capital expenses at the facility. The completed project signifies the close of phase I, with subsequent phases “to restore the balance of windows and complete other maintenance,” Deci said.

All are invited to the open house — especially those interested in downtown revitalization, historic preservation, Bath’s unique heritage, reducing energy consumption and sustainability.