National Register of Historic Places

Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building

Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
Listed
September 26, 1996
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
96001039

About this property

The Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building (also known as the Miller Building) is a historic building at 522-528 Congress Street in downtown Portland, Maine. Built in 1904 and enlarged in 1911, it housed Porteous, which was Maine's largest department store for many years. The building is a fine example Renaissance Revival architecture and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It now houses the primary campus facilities of the Maine College of Art & Design. The Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building is located in Portland's Arts District at the upper end of Congress Street. It occupies the middle portion of a city block on the south side of Congress Street, between Oak and Brown Streets. It is a five-story structure, with a steel frame and brick walls clad in limestone-colored terra cotta. The ground floor facade is entirely modern, with glass and stone, and is topped by a marquee identifying the building's current occupant, the Maine College of Art. The second through fourth floors are divided into six bays, articulated by fluted pilasters. Each bay houses a three-part window, with a larger central pane separated by smaller side ones by slender engaged columns. Between the floors are decorative panels. The top floor is separated from the others by a dentillated cornice, and also has six bays separated by pilasters, each bay housing three round-arch windows. A corbelled cornice tops the structure. The building was constructed in 1904 to plans by architect Penn Varney of Lynn, Massachusetts, for the Portland dry goods firm of Watson, Miller & Company, and was originally three bays wide. In 1906 that firm was acquired by the Connecticut retailer Porteous, Mitchell and Braun, which doubled the building's size in 1911, and commissioned the unifying facade from local architect George Burnham. Further expansions enlarged the building to the rear, reaching Free Street by 1953. Porteous operated on the premises until 1991, and was for many years the city's leading department store. The building then underwent restoration and adaptation for use by the Maine College of Art. National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine

Location

522--528 Congress St.
Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
43.65596, -70.26067

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building

This page lists Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Brown, J. B., Memorial Block
Industrial
0 mi
Mechanics' Hall (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
0 mi
Hanson, Asa, Block
Industrial
0.1 mi
Everett Chambers
Industrial
0.1 mi
Wadsworth-Longfellow House
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Raid on Falmouth (Casco, Maine) 1690
1690Colonial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building listed on the National Register?

Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 1996.

What type of historic resource is Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building?

Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building?

The period of significance for Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building?

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 Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Cumberland County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Cumberland County.

Explore CumberlandCounty ›

More historic places in Maine

Browse all historic places in Maine.

View Mainehistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Maine history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Mainehistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report