2025 MPI Successes & 2026 Plans and Opportunities
Dear MPI Friend,
MPI continues to promote preservation in Montgomery County! Keep reading for information on Preservation Action Fund Grants, 2025 Historic Preservation Awards, efforts to save critical sites including COMSAT and cemeteries, Silver Spring B&O Station Open Houses, and celebrations of Montgomery County’s Semiquincentennial this year.
Wayne Goldstein Preservation Action Fund Grants
MPI is pleased to announce the schedule and rules for grants for the Wayne M. Goldstein Preservation Action Fund. Proposals for grants for up to $5,000 will be accepted until February 28, 2026. (Update: amount increased to $7,500 and deadline extended to June 30, 2026.)
Our 2025 grant recipients were the Bethesda Meeting House Foundation to restore the damaged rear garage doors and the Maryland Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to monitor ambient vibrations at the historic Madonna of the Trail on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda.
View more information and the grant application
2025 Historic Preservation Awards
On October 24, it was MPI’s great pleasure to honor outstanding groups and individuals. From the reception through the ceremonials and final toast, the lively event was a huge success! Awardees and their families and colleagues mingled with presenters and public officials in the delightful setting of historic Chevy Chase Village Hall.
Although coincidentally this year all of the projects involved sites opened in the 1950s, each award winner took time to reflect on their unique experience that led to preserving a special place in our community today.
Public Hearing about the Future of COMSAT
MPI testimony in January 2025 helped to convince Montgomery County’s Historic Preservation Commission to recommend designating COMSAT on the Master Plan for Historic Preservation.
MPI urges you to be involved in the next step and attend the Montgomery County Council’s public hearing on the Planning Board Draft of the Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan on Wednesday, January 21 at 7 pm. Testimony may also be submitted in writing.
View the Public Hearing Announcement
Maryland Cemetery Legislative Update
Maryland Cemetery Legislative Advocates (MCLA) continues work to improve State protections for cemeteries. Two important bills – with House and Senate sponsors – are proposed for the 2026 Session. If passed, they would protect burial grounds from being neglected or erased and ensure that descendant communities, preservation efforts, and respectful treatment of the dead are at the center of decision-making in Maryland.
The Historic Silver Spring B&O Station Turns 80!
On December 16, 1945, our passenger station opened to the public. Never been there? Come to the FREE Open Houses on the first Saturday of the month from 10 am to 2 pm with activities for all ages. You can enjoy train spotting and waving at the engineers, a model layout, a toy train play set, photos and memorabilia of the railroad’s glory days and historic Silver Spring, and more!
The February 7 Open House features a presentation on “Streamlined Trains” starting at 11am. Railroads played an enormous role in America’s development and culture, none more dramatic in public perception than the iconic 20th-century locomotive and passenger cars designed for luxury trains. Beginning in the 1930s, Art Deco emerged as a prominent design theme for railroads with smooth design and innovative use of interior space and function. David Vaughn will illustrate these dramatic developments, using as examples the works of and rivalry between 20th-century industrial designers Raymond Loewy and Henry Dreyfus.
The March 7 Open House features a presentation on “Backyard Science” starting at 11 am. Clarence Hickey will share the insights he gleaned on monarch butterfly conservation from his own backyard plus tips about the best reference books for young readers.
Save the Dates
MPI Annual Meeting, Talk, Election of Officers at Germantown Bank: May 3, 2 to 4 pm
MD House & Garden Pilgrimage in the Town of Kensington: June 7, 10 am to 5 pm
Montgomery Co. Heritage Days at multiple locations including Silver Spring B&O Station: June 27-28