National Register of Historic Places

Woodman Building

Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
Listed
February 23, 1972
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
72000075

About this property

The Woodman Building is a historic commercial block located at 133–141 Middle Street in Portland, Maine. It was designed by architect George M. Harding and built in 1867. It is one of the most elaborate and high-style commercial buildings built in the wake of the city's devastating 1866 fire, and is one of Maine's largest Second Empire buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972. The Rackleff Building is located in Portland's Old Port area, on the north side of Middle Street, at its corner with Pearl Street. It is flanked on the east side by the Rackleff Building. It is a four-story masonry structure, built out of brick with stone and iron trim elements. The ground floor storefronts are articulated by iron pilasters and arches, while windows on the second and third floors are combined in groups of one, two, or three, under elaborate stone arches. Stone beltcourses highlight the bottom of these arches, and also the join the sills of the windows. The building is capped by a mansard roof in the Second Empire style, with paired brackets in the eaves, corner turrets, and elaborate dormers. The block was built in 1867 for the Woodman family after the 1866 fire devastated a large part of the city. It is one of three adjacent buildings designed by George M. Harding (the others are the Rackleff Building and the Thompson Block, further east on Middle Street), which comprise one of the city's finest blocks of period architecture. Of these, the Woodman Building is the most elaborate. The ironwork on the ground floor is a rare surviving work of a local foundry, the Portland Company. National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Maine

Location

133-141 Middle St.
Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
43.65865, -70.25354

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTCOMMERCEARCHITECTURE
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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Rackleff Building
Industrial
0 mi
Thompson Block
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lincoln Park
Listed
0.1 mi
First Baptist Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
Mariner's Church
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Fort Loyal Casco 1690
1690Colonial
0.1 mi
Siege of Fort Loyal (Falmouth) 1690
1690Colonial
0.1 mi
Raid on Falmouth (Casco, Maine) 1690
1690Colonial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Woodman Building listed on the National Register?

Woodman Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972.

What type of historic resource is Woodman Building?

Woodman Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Woodman Building?

The period of significance for Woodman Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Woodman Building?

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