Gothic House, The
About this property
The Gothic House, also known as the John J. Brown House, is a historic house at 387 Spring Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1845, it is one of Maine's finest and earliest known examples of Gothic Revival architecture. Although virtually unaltered, it was moved down Spring Street in 1971 to avoid demolition. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Gothic House is located in Portland's West End neighborhood, on the north side of Spring Street, a short way east of the Western Cemetery. Spring Street is part of the Spring Street Historic District, a cluster of well-preserved 19th-century residences. The house is a two-story wood-frame structure with a hip roof, wooden siding that resembles rusticated stone, and a modern concrete foundation. The main (south-facing) facade is three bays wide, with a central projecting section housing the main entrance. Topped by a steeply pitched gable, that section has a two-pointed Gothic arched window on the second level and the entrance, sheltered by a Gothic-detailed porch on the first. Windows in the flanking bays are diamond-paned casement windows. The main gable in front and the smaller gables on the side elevations are all decorated with bargeboard trim. The house was designed by Irish immigrant Henry Rowe (1812–1870), a major proponent of the Gothic Revival, and built in 1845. It is believed to be Rowe's first commission in the state, and is described in city promotional materials as the finest example of Gothic Revival architecture in Maine. The design is based partly on examples published in Andrew Jackson Downing's 1842 Cottage Residences. The house was originally located approximately a mile east of the present location, closer to the city's port area. As it was demolished in 1971, the structure was moved further down Spring Street, and a Holiday Inn hotel was constructed in the former location. A bronze and brass Gothic chandelier that once hung in the house's parlor was on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City from April to September 1970. National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Gothic House, The listed on the National Register?
Gothic House, The was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1974.
What type of historic resource is Gothic House, The?
Gothic House, The is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Gothic House, The?
The period of significance for Gothic House, The is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Gothic House, The?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Gothic House, The will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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