Old Hampden Academy Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hampden Academy
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | U.S. 1A, Hampden, Maine |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1842 |
| Architect | Stuart, James H. |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000106 |
| Added to NRHP | September 11, 1975 |
The Old Hampden Academy Building is a super old school building in Hampden, Maine. It was built way back in 1842-1843. For many years, it was the main home for Hampden Academy, which is now the public high school for the town. Today, this historic building is part of the McGraw School campus, which is an elementary school. Because it's so important for education and its cool design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Discovering the Old Hampden Academy
The old Hampden Academy building stands on the west side of US Route 1A in Hampden village. It's just south of where Route 1A meets Cottage Street. The building is at the back of a curved driveway, which is now mostly surrounded by parking for the McGraw School. The modern part of the McGraw School is actually connected to the back of this old building.
Building Design and Features
The academy building is a 2½-story building made of brick. It has a front-facing roof that slopes down on two sides, like a triangle. The foundation is made of strong granite. A square tower rises from the middle of the roof. This tower has a short first part, then a taller section called a belfry. The belfry has round-arch openings with slats, which might have once held a bell.
The front of the building, which faces west, looks the same on both sides. It has three sections, with a special entrance area sticking out in the middle. The roof above the entrance is shaped like a triangle, with a half-round opening in the center. The entrance itself has tall, flat columns called pilasters at all four corners. The main door is set back into a decorated opening, and there's a balcony with a railing above it.
A Look Back at History
Hampden Academy first started in 1803. Its very first building was built on this same spot in 1806. Sadly, that building was destroyed by fire in February 1842. But don't worry, the building you see today was built soon after that fire!
This building is one of only a few brick school buildings built in the Greek Revival style. It looks a bit like the Bloomfield Academy in Skowhegan, which was built in 1840, and the Somerset Academy in Athens. The Hampden Academy building was damaged by another fire in 1854. It even closed for a short time in the 1880s because not enough students were enrolled. But since then, it has always been used for classrooms by Hampden Academy and the local school district.
