A Main Street landmark needs your help.

It's hard to imagine Main Street Kennebunk without The Brick Store Museum. For generations, the Museum has served as the historic and aesthetic foundation of upper Main Street: a beloved series of structures that has quietly stood witness to the passing of American history--at least our little corner of it--from an era when our founding fathers still lived to a time when you can wirelessly converse with a friend on the other side of the globe within seconds. Through it all, the foundation, bricks, mortar and beams of the Museum have weathered hundreds, perhaps thousands, of icy blizzards and teeth-rattling nor 'easters.

These 19th-century structures have reached a critical stage in their existence. While past attempts to mitigate deterioration have resulted in some improvements, they have fallen short of addressing the core integrity of the buildings. A comprehensive structural engineering study completed in 2004 identified approximately $750,000 in needed repairs to leaks and severely comprised sills, beams, brickwork and electrical systems.

We must act now if we are to preserve these unique and valuable structures, while at the same time increase the Museum's endowment so that future generations can enjoy the unparalleled character of upper Main Street and the collections and activities presented within these iconic buildings.

Connecting Generations Capital Campaign

The preservation of the Museum and its treasures are vital to the Kennebunks. That's why the Museum's Board of Trustees publicly launched the Connecting Generations Capital Campaign in June 2006 with a goal of raising $1.5 million:

• $750,000 in capital funds to enable the Museum to address the restoration and historic preservation of the four historic structures that front Main Street Kennebunk
• $750,000 in endowment fund to enable the Museum to increase its total endowment for future needs

The benefits

• Historic preservation of an iconic streetscape:
  The Museum block is singularly appealing yet increasingly rare as part of an iconic Main Street in small town America.
• Structural integrity: Stabilization and rehabilitation of the buildings will allow the Museum to finally utilize the structures to their full potential. The rehabilitated, reconfigured museum will be safer, more structurally sound, and more efficient for scholarship, preservation and public access.
• Fiscal stability and security: Endowment income will contribute to the Museum's overall financial health, ability to weather fluctuations in the economy, and will allow the Museum to add a professional staff member. With a successful campaign, The Brick Store Museum will be a fully functional 19th-century structure with a robust endowment sustaining a 21-century mission.

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The Brick Store Museum
117 Main Street * Kennebunk, Maine 04043
Phone: 207.985.4802 * Fax: 207.985.6887
www.brickstoremuseum.org