Chestnut Street Methodist Church (Portland, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chestnut Street Methodist Church
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The front to the Chestnut Street Methodist Church
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 15 Chestnut St., Portland, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1856 |
| Architect | Charles A. Alexander |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000063 |
| Added to NRHP | October 20, 1977 |
The Chestnut Street Methodist Church is a really old and cool building in Portland, Maine. It was built way back in 1856. This church is special because it's one of the few buildings left in Portland that shows off the early Gothic Revival style of architecture.
It was designed by a famous architect named Charles A. Alexander. Most of his other buildings are gone or have been changed a lot. Because it's so important to history and architecture, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Today, it's not a church anymore; it's a restaurant!
What Does It Look Like?
The old Chestnut Street Church building is right in the middle of Portland. It's located behind Portland City Hall. The building is made of special pressed brick with brownstone details.
It has a super steep roof made of slate. The walls have strong supports called buttresses. Between these supports, you'll see tall, pointed windows. These are called Gothic arched windows.
The front of the church is perfectly balanced. It has two tall towers on either side of the main part. These towers used to have fancy, pointy tops called spires. But for safety reasons, these spires were taken down in the 1950s. There are three doors to get inside, all with the same cool Gothic arched shape.
A Look Back in Time
This church was built in 1856 for a group of Methodists. They had been meeting in that spot since 1808. Fun fact: this was the very first Methodist church to have an organ installed!
The architect, Charles A. Alexander, designed many important buildings in Portland during the 1850s. But sadly, most of his other works were either torn down or changed a lot. The Gothic style of this church is also rare in Portland. Many buildings from that time were destroyed in a big fire in 1866.
In 1904, something really important happened here. The Maine Women's Suffragist Association held their 24th yearly meeting at the church. These were the brave women who fought for women's right to vote!
Years later, in 2009, the building was fixed up and turned into a restaurant called Grace. It's amazing how this historic building has found a new life!
See also
