Maine State Building facts for kids
|
Maine State Building
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
 |
|
 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Preservation Way, South Poland, Maine |
|---|---|
| Built | 1893 |
| Architect | Charles Sumner Frost |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Part of | Poland Springs Historic District (ID13000595) |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000148 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | July 18, 1974 |
| Designated CP | August 13, 2013 |
The Maine State Building is a special historic building located on Preservation Way. It's part of the Poland Spring resort in South Poland, Maine. This building was first constructed in 1893 for a huge event called the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
A talented Chicago architect named Charles Sumner Frost designed it. He was originally from Lewiston, Maine and studied at MIT. The building was made using granite from Maine and had a slate roof. All the materials and the people who built it were from Maine. At the World's Fair, the building showed off many cool things about the State of Maine.
Contents
A Building Made from Maine's Best
The granite used to build the Maine State Building came from ten different quarries across the state. Quarries are places where stone is dug out of the ground. The slate for the roof came from the Monson Slate Company in Monson, Maine. This shows how much care was taken to use only materials from Maine.
Moving a Whole Building
After the World's Fair ended, the Ricker Family, who owned the Poland Spring resort, bought the building. They paid $30,000 for it! They wanted to bring it all the way back to Maine.
Moving such a big building was a huge job. It needed 16 freight cars on a train to carry all its parts. The Rickers sent a team of 19 men from Poland, Maine, to Chicago. This team was led by Forest Walker, who was the resort's head carpenter. They carefully took the building apart, marking each section so it could be put back together correctly.
Hiram W. Ricker personally watched over the dismantling. The cost to take it apart and ship it was over three thousand dollars. The building was meant to be a highlight for the resort's opening season in 1895. The first stone was laid on August 14, 1894. The Maine State Building officially opened on July 1, 1895. This was part of a celebration for the Ricker family settling in Poland.
Life Inside the Building
Once the Maine State Building was rebuilt at Poland Spring, it had new uses. The first floor became a library and a reading room. People could relax and read books there.
The second floor had bedrooms for guests who stayed overnight. The third floor was an Art Gallery. Here, visitors could see amazing American art.
The Building Today
Today, the Maine State Building is looked after by the Poland Spring Preservation Society. This group works hard to fix up and protect the Maine State Building. They also care for All Soul's Chapel in Poland.
The Society runs the Nettie Ricker Art Gallery inside the Maine State Building. This gallery often changes its exhibits, showing art from local and regional artists.
Other World's Fair Survivors
The Maine State Building is one of only a few buildings left from the 1893 World's Fair. Other buildings that still exist include the Norway Building in Norway, Wisconsin. There's also The Dutch House in Massachusetts.
In Chicago, the Palace of Fine Arts (now the Museum of Science and Industry) and the World Congress Auxiliary Building (now the Art Institute of Chicago) also remain. These buildings are special reminders of that huge event.
See also
