Mystic -- The National Trust for Historic Preservation has given its Driehaus Preservation Award to the Charles W. Morgan whaling ship at Mystic Seaport.

The award was presented at the organization’s PastForward National Preservation Conference in Houston two weekends ago.

Driehaus preservation awards also went to the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel and Stony Island Arts Bank, both in Chicago.

“While each is unique, this year’s outstanding Driehaus Award winners all reflect the importance of protecting our nation’s cultural heritage,” said Stephanie Meeks, the trust’s president and CEO. “From a prominent Venetian Gothic building along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue to a 19th-century whaling ship in Connecticut, this year’s Driehaus Award winners demonstrate how saving places bolsters local economies and helps preserve the unique fabric of communities throughout the country.”

Co-recipients of the award were staff of the Seaport and its shipyard along with Susan Funk, its executive vice president; Dana Hewson, its vice president for watercraft preservation and programs; and Quentin Snediker, its shipyard director and head shipwright Rob Whalen.

The multi-year restoration of the world’s last surviving wooden whaling ship and a National Historic Landmark, culminated with a journey to historic New England whaling ports in the summer of 2014. “The Morgan’s journey promoted the stewardship of intangible heritage and public history, educating nearly 65,000 people about everything from the diversity of those who worked in whaling to human-whale interaction,” stated the trust in announcing the award.

j.wojtas@theday.com