Hamblen Development Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hamblen Development Historic District
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The Hamblen Block rowhouses
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 188-208 Danforth St., Portland, Maine |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1835 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 92000802 |
| Added to NRHP | June 18, 1992 |
The Hamblen Development Historic District is a special area in Portland, Maine. It has several old homes built in the Greek Revival style. These homes were built between 1835 and 1836. They were part of a plan by the Hamblen family to build and sell houses. This district is important because it shows how Portland grew a long time ago. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Exploring the Hamblen Historic District
The Hamblen Development is located on Danforth Street. It is in the eastern part of Portland's West End. This area is between Brackett and Clark Streets. The district includes several unique buildings.
What Kind of Buildings Are Here?
The eastern side of the block has the Hamblen Block. These are four three-story brick rowhouses. They were built in 1835. A rowhouse is a house that shares walls with other houses on both sides.
Next to them is a brick duplex. It was built in 1836. A duplex is a building with two separate homes inside. This one has a mirror-image design.
Also built in 1836 was 200 Danforth Street. This is a single-family house. It is three bays wide, just like the duplex and rowhouses.
At the end of the block is another duplex. This building has a fancy roof design. One part of this duplex still has rare old wrought iron grills.
Why Was This Area Built?
These buildings were part of a big plan. Brothers Eli, Joseph, and Nathaniel Hamblen built them. They wanted to sell the homes for profit. This is called a "speculative real estate development."
This type of focused building project was new for Maine. It was one of the earliest examples in the state. Such projects only started in the early 1830s. The Hamblen Development helped grow the area. It was part of a big effort to build up land west of Portland's main port.
