McLellan-Sweat Mansion facts for kids
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McLellan-Sweat Mansion
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Portland, Maine |
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| Built | 1800-1801 |
| Architect | John Kimball Sr. |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Part of | Spring Street Historic District (ID70000043) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000073 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | March 5, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | December 30, 1970 |
| Designated CP | April 3, 1970 |
The McLellan-Sweat Mansion is a very old and important house in Portland, Maine. It's also known as The McLellan House. Today, it's a historic house museum, which means it's kept like it was long ago so people can visit and learn about history.
This mansion is a key part of the Portland Museum of Art. It was built a long time ago, between 1800 and 1801. Because it's such a well-preserved example of a special building style called "Federal style," it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
About the McLellan-Sweat Mansion
The McLellan-Sweat Mansion stands at the corner of High and Spring Streets in downtown Portland. Even though it's on these streets, you usually enter it through the main entrance of the Portland Museum of Art.
This grand house has three stories and is made of brick. It has a low, sloped roof and a strong foundation made of granite. The front of the house, which faces Spring Street, has five sections. In the middle, there's a main entrance with a round porch. This porch is supported by classic columns and has a railing on top.
Above the main entrance, on the second floor, you'll see a special window with three parts, called a Palladian window. The roof has decorative brackets, and there's a low railing around the top with urns on its posts. Inside, the first floor has a central hallway and beautiful wooden details in its main rooms.
A Look at Its History
The McLellan-Sweat Mansion was built between 1800 and 1801. It was made for a wealthy man named Major Hugh McLellan, who was important in the shipping business. The house was designed by John Kimball Sr., an architect from Massachusetts. Building this impressive mansion cost $20,000, which was a huge amount of money back then!
Over the years, the house changed owners. In 1880, it was bought by Lorenzo De Medici Sweat. After he passed away, his wife gave the house to the Portland Society of Art in 1908. This group is now known as the Portland Museum of Art.
Expanding the Museum
In 1911, new art galleries were added behind the house. These were called the L. D. M. Sweat Memorial Galleries and were designed by John Calvin Stevens. A hallway connected them to the old mansion.
Later, in 1957, two special fireplace decorations, called mantelpieces, were brought to the house. They came from another old house, the Commodore Edward Preble House, which was built in 1805. These new mantelpieces replaced ones that had been changed during an earlier renovation.
In 1970, the McLellan-Sweat Mansion was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was also named a National Historic Landmark, showing its great importance.
The museum continued to grow! In 1983, a new building called the Charles Shipman Payson Building opened. This new part extended the museum and created a new main entrance. After a lot of careful work to fix and restore the house, The McLellan House reopened to visitors in 2002.
See also
