Waterfront Historic Area League of New Bedford

CONTACT:

128 Union St.
New Bedford, MA 02740
508-997-1776
www.waterfrontleague.org

Lisa Bergson, executive director

DESCRIPTION:

In 1851 Herman Melville wrote, “[N]owhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses, parks and gardens more opulent, than in New Bedford.” Well, that was then, and this is now, and WHALE is working to bridge the gap. WHALE was founded in 1962 to preserve, protect, and restore an historic heritage subverted by a ruined economy. In forty years it has rescued forty buildings — commercial, residential, museums, and a theatre. It led the creation of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, where many of these structures are located. It has raised civic consciousness through a cable television program, “Soundings,” and an education program, “Discovering New Bedford,” which have sensitized children and adults to the priceless legacy on which New Bedford’s future can be built. In 2002, the National Trust for Historic Preservation honored WHALE with its Trustees' Award for Organizational Excellence. But the struggle goes on — WHALE is currently reclaiming five abandoned buildings and trying to replace federal funding now lost from its after-school programs. You can bet there’s no blubber in WHALE’s budget: Executive Director Tony Souza has quadrupled its membership from 300 to over 1,200, and still management takes only 5% of its costs. So “Thar’ she blows!” Won’t you help keep this WHALE afloat?

(2004: CULTURE: Education: Informal: Historic Preservation)