A Post Colonial survivor in Portland’s oldest neighborhood.

After the turn of the century, the West End became increasingly popular and increasingly filled with an eclectic mix of styles. Our subject is a rare example of the Tudor Revival style.
Built in 1875-76 for William Anderson and Edward Preble
Design by Francis Fassett. Simon Libby builder. Nathan Redlon and Samuel Knight, masons
55 Atlantic Street. Tax records call it ‘Italianate’. Okay. Seems like a very non descript apartment building.

Turn the corner
Continue reading
After the Civil War and the great fire, the center of Portland became increasingly commercial and many of the residential neighborhoods followed Horace Greeley’s advice and headed west. The wonderful neighborhoods of the West End were developed in this period. Another, perhaps less recognized, area is the Deering Street section in West Bayside.
The Winter Street neighborhood characterized by brick Federal buildings such as the Danforth Inn along with Victorian-era single and multi-family homes. The biggest neighbors are Mercy Hospital and The Irish Heritage Center in the former St Dominic’s Church. Nestled among these buildings is 15-17 Winter Street also known as 52-54 Gray Street. A rather small wooden home that shows an incredible amount of preservation both in the building and the lot on which it stands.
South Street runs from Pleasant Street to a concrete wall on the edge of Spring Street in Portland’s Gorham’s Corner neighborhood. South Street originally ran from Spring to Free Streets with the current section being laid out around 1830. This is the same time frame that our subject was built. The earliest parts of South Street were removed during the era of Urban Renewal and now lie under the Cross Arena.