U.S. Courthouse
About this property
The Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse is a historic courthouse at 156 Federal Street in Portland, Maine, United States. It is the courthouse for the United States District Court for the District of Maine. When it was completed in 1911, the U.S. Courthouse in Portland, now known as the Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse, was the first federal courthouse in Maine. Its national stature combined with its distinctive Italian Renaissance Revival architecture brought prestige to Portland's civic center. Designed by James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, the courthouse's classical details complement its neighbors surrounding Lincoln Park, which include the U.S. Custom House (1872), Cumberland County Courthouse (1910), and Portland City Hall (1912). The U.S. Courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Construction of the U.S. Post Office Building near Lincoln Park in 1868 helped establish the area as a location for public buildings at the turn of the twentieth century. By 1908, the federal government had acquired a prominent site for a new courthouse adjacent to the park, and construction began that year. Knox designed a trapezoidal building with an interior courtyard to be constructed in two phases. The U-shaped first phase of construction was completed in 1911. In 1931–32, Knox's original design was completed, closing the U, under the direction of the Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore. The new construction provided space for a post office and additional offices on the upper floors. In 1988, the U.S. Courthouse was renamed in honor of Judge Edward T. Gignoux, a veteran of 26 years on the bench, who had gained notoriety when he presided over the contempt trial of activists who attempted to disrupt the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968. In 1996, the courthouse underwent extensive modernization, which added two new courtrooms in the 1931–32 addition. The principal features and details of the first and second floors of the 1911 construction were rehabilitated and restored. As a result of the project, the Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse was awarded an Institutional Preservation Award from Greater Portland Landmarks in 1999. The Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse's Italian Renaissance Revival style reflects its architect's belief that classicism was well suited for federal buildings. Entirely faced with New England granite, the building is composed of two stories above a raised stone base. Each level is articulated on the exterior through the use of subtle variations in ornamentation and textures. The first story is characterized by channeled stone. It is distinguished from the second story by a stringcourse and by the second story's smooth masonry. Differentiation also occurs in the fenestration. While the first floor has recessed, rectangular windows with simple moldings, the second-story windows are larger and elaborately detailed with classical moldings, balcony balustrades, and crowning triangular and segmented pediments, some of which are set within large arched niches with keystones. A continuous frieze, dentil molding, and cornice finish the top of the wall, where a parapet caps the composition. A succession of circular dormer windows punctuates the attic story of the slate-shingled mansard roof. The exterior articulation and ornamentation of the 1931–32 addition faithfully replicates the architectural detail of the original 1911 construction.
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about U.S. Courthouse
This page lists U.S. Courthouse. 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:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Nearby Battles
Questions about this property
When was U.S. Courthouse listed on the National Register?
U.S. Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 1974.
What type of historic resource is U.S. Courthouse?
U.S. Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for U.S. Courthouse?
The period of significance for U.S. Courthouse is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near U.S. Courthouse?
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 U.S. Courthouse 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 ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near U.S. Courthouse will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.