Portland House Stories

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Category Archives: On Spec

173-175 State Street & John Neal

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An iconic Greek Revival Row house pair in the Longfellow Square neighborhood.

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This entry was posted in After the fire, Apartment, Architecture, Biography, Double House, Granite, Greek Revival, History, Home of the architect, Images, John Neal, Longfellow Square, Maine, masonry, On Spec, Real Estate, Rowhouse, State Street, The Great Fire of 1866 and tagged 19th Century, Architecture, Granite, History, images, John Neal, Lorenzo De Medici Sweat, Maine, Margaret Mussey Sweat, Portland, Portland Maine, Then and Now on December 28, 2025 by alewifecove.

Glimpses. 121 Dartmouth Street

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Built ‘on spec’ ca; 1922 by the Dartmouth Real Estate Company

An Arts & Crafts ‘double-decker’ in the Oakdale neighborhood.

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This entry was posted in Apartment, Architecture, Arts and Crafts, Dartmouth Real Estate Company, Dartmouth Street, Deering, double-decker, F A Rumery, Hip roof, History, Images, Maine, Oakdale, Oakdale Street, On Spec, Then & Now and tagged Apartment, Architecture, Built on spec, Dartmouth Real Estate Company, Frank Rumery, History, images, Maine, Marion Deering Noyes, Oakdale, Portland, Portland Maine, Then and Now on October 31, 2025 by alewifecove.

16-22 Pine Street

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Built on spec in 1856 by the Granville & Sewall Chase. Design by Charles A Alexander

A quartet of substantial Italianate townhouses in the Longfellow Square neighborhood

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This entry was posted in Brick, Built on spec, Charles A Alexander, Chase, Condominium, Fail, Granville M Chase, History, Images, Italianate, Longfellow Square, Maine, On Spec, Pine Street, Portals, Remuddling, Rowhouse, Sewall Chase, Then & Now, Townhouse, West End Walks and tagged 19th Century, Architecture, Brick, Charles A Alexander, Granville Chase, History, images, Maine, Portland, Portland Maine, Sewall Chase, Then and Now, West End on January 19, 2025 by alewifecove.

By Request: 395 St John Street

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Built ca: 1859-60 on spec for George Jewett

A modest Greek Revival in the USM neighborhood. Continue reading →

43.657039
-70.280951

This entry was posted in Built on spec, By Request, Greek Revival, History, Images, Income Property, Off the peninsula, On Spec, St John Street and tagged 19th Century, Anatole Carles, Architecture, Built on spec, Greek Revival, History, John Bundy Brown, Maine, Portland, Portland Maine, St John Smith, Then and Now, West End on November 12, 2023 by alewifecove.

By Request. 22 Carleton Street

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Built in on spec 1871 by William Burrowes

A substantial Second Empire Double House in the West End Historic District Continue reading →

This entry was posted in Brick, Built on spec, By Request, Carleton Street, Christian Kragelund, History, Images, mansard roof, On Spec, Royal Realty, Second Empire, West End, William Burrowes and tagged 19th Century, Architecture, Brick, Built on spec, Christian Kragelund, Double House, History, images, immigration, Maine, mansard roof, Portland, Portland Maine, Royal Realty, Second Empire, Then and Now, West End, William Burrowes on September 4, 2023 by alewifecove.

Glimpses. 59 Orland Street

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Built on spec in 1932 by James MacNutt

An interesting Arts & Crafts home in the Fessenden Park neighborhood. Continue reading →

43.665246
-70.286726

This entry was posted in Architecture, Arts and Crafts, Built on spec, Fessenden Park, Glimpses, Images, James MacNutt, Maine, Off the peninsula, On Spec, Orland Street, Then & Now and tagged 20th Century, Architecture, Arts and Crafts, Built on spec, Dorothy Small, Dorothy Snell, Glimpses, History, images, Maine, Portland, Portland Maine, Richard Small, Then and Now on August 13, 2023 by alewifecove.

104 Park Street and the Park Street Row

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Built in 1835/36 for the Trustees of the Park Street Proprietary. William Dyer & Joshua Haskell masons. Simeon Rice carpenter.

A Greek Revival row house in Park/Pleasant Street Neighborhood.

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43.652011 -70.262637

This entry was posted in Architecture, Brick, Built on spec, Greater Portland Landmarks, Greek Revival, History, Images, Joshua Haskell, masonry, On Spec, Park Street, Park/Pleasant Street, Portals, Simeon Rice, Survivor, Then & Now, William Dyer and tagged 19th Century, Alfred Brinkler, Architecture, Brick, Built on spec, City Bank of Portland, doors, entries, Greater Portland Landmarks, Greek Revival, History, Hope-Jones Organ Company, images, James Cahoon, James T McCobb, John Neal, Kotzschmar Organ, Maine, Marshall French, Martin Gore, Oliver Dorrance, Panic of 1837, Park Street Row, pipe organ, Portals, Portland, Portland Maine, Robert Robison, row house, Rowhouse, St Luke's Catherdral, Then and Now, Trustees of the Park Street Proprietary on May 23, 2023 by alewifecove.

397 Stevens Avenue

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Built on spec in 1896 by E Vinton Earle

A pleasant Queen Anne in the Deering neighborhood

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43.672093
-70.294863

This entry was posted in Built on spec, Deering, Deering Center, E Vinton Earle, History, Images, Income Property, Maine, Off the peninsula, On Spec, Queen Anne, Remuddling, Stevens Avenue, Then & Now and tagged 19th Century, Architecture, Built on spec, Deering, E Vinton Earle, Edward K Milliken, entries, History, images, Maine, Portland, Portland Maine, Portland String Quartet, Queen Anne Style, T.A. Huston & Company, Then and Now on November 13, 2022 by alewifecove.

17 May Street

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Built on spec in 1874 by Israel P Butler.

A multi-family Italianate in the West End Historic District.

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43.648005
-70.266296

This entry was posted in Built on spec, History, Italianate, Maine, May Street, On Spec, West End and tagged 19th Century, Architecture, Built on spec, History, images, Italianate, Maine, Portland, Portland Maine, Then and Now, West End on October 16, 2022 by alewifecove.