J.B. Brown Memorial Block facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
J. B. Brown Memorial Block
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Congress and Casco Sts., Portland, Maine |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1883 |
| Architect | John Calvin Stevens |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000167 |
| Added to NRHP | May 23, 1978 |
The J.B. Brown Memorial Block is a really old and cool building in downtown Portland, Maine. You can find it where Congress Street and Casco Street meet. It was built way back in 1883! A famous architect named John Calvin Stevens designed it. This building is special because it's one of the only examples of a style called Queen Anne Victorian commercial architecture in Portland. It's named after John B. Brown, who started the Portland Sugar Company. This important building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Contents
Exploring the J.B. Brown Memorial Block
The J.B. Brown Memorial Block is located on the northwest side of Congress Street. This street is the main road that runs through downtown Portland. The building sits right on the corner with Casco Street.
What Does It Look Like?
This building is quite large, standing 4-1/2 stories tall. It's mostly made of brick, which is a strong building material. The building takes up about two-thirds of the city block between Casco and Oak Streets. The front of the building is about 120 feet (37 m) long.
It has four different store fronts that are slightly uneven. This is because the ground it's built on slopes a little. The windows are separated by brick pillars, which are like decorative columns. These windows come in different sizes and are grouped together.
Special Features of the Building
Near the middle of the front, you'll find the main entrance. It's set back a bit, under a stone archway. Above this entrance, on the third floor, there's a round window. The building also has two large, pointy roof sections called "gabled projections." These stick out from the main roof.
You can also see two chimneys with fancy tops on either side of the main entrance. The original roof was a "hip roof," which slopes down on all sides. However, a wall was added in the mid-1900s. This wall makes the roof look like a "mansard roof," which has a double slope. The wall was added to help stop snow from falling onto the sidewalk below. Inside, many of the original features are covered by newer, modern decorations.
Who Was J.B. Brown?
The J.B. Brown Memorial Block is named after John B. Brown. He was a very important person in Portland's history. In 1855, he started a company called the Portland Sugar Company. This company was a big deal for the city's economy.
John B. Brown also built the Falmouth Hotel in 1868. For 50 years, this hotel was a popular spot for social events in Portland. The J.B. Brown Memorial Block was designed by John Calvin Stevens, a well-known architect from Portland. It was completed in 1883.
