Tag Archives: Maine

West End Walks. 4 Orchard Street

Update 6.24.16: Having found a new resource on architects practicing in Portland, I can now state the architect of this house was James P Thomas. Thomas was a grandson of the noted William Widgery Thomas and a graduate of Harvard University. Thomas played a big role in public and residential architecture in Portland during the turn of the 19th/20th centuries.

Having highlighted the entry in the first Portals post, I think it’s time to take a closer look at this house. A product of a booming era, the home has some wonderful architectural details combined with a bit of interesting history.

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461-463 Cumberland Avenue. The Doten House

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.

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110 Pleasant Street. A carriage house with a long history.

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It sits, rather forlornly, behind the group home at 71 High Street. Neglected and overlooked, it seems to be the victim of ‘destruction by neglect’. A sad state for a building with a long story to tell. With a construction date of 1800, I believe it to be the oldest carriage house in Portland.

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West End Walks. Carriage houses & garages.

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159 Pine Street

An area of architectural design little contemplated in modern times but long an interest of mine. Style and quality range from bland to utilitarian to high style.

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