Robert P. Carr House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Robert P. Carr House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 31 Main St., Bowdoinham, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1870 |
| Architect | Coombs, George M. |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001904 |
| Added to NRHP | December 18, 1990 |
The Robert P. Carr House is a special old home located at 31 Main Street in Bowdoinham, Maine. It's a great example of Italianate architecture, a popular building style from the 1800s. This house was built around 1870 for Robert P. Carr, who was a very important person in the town back then. Because of its history and unique style, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
About the Robert P. Carr House
This historic house stands on the north side of Main Street. It's close to where Main Street meets Center Street and Back Hill Road. The house is a beautiful example of old-fashioned design.
What Does the House Look Like?
The Robert P. Carr House is shaped like an "L" and has two and a half stories. It's made of wood and has a special roof with a cross-gable design. The outside walls are covered with clapboard siding, and it sits on a strong granite foundation.
The front of the house, which faces the street, has two main sections. On the first floor, you'll see cool, multi-sided window areas. These are called polygonal bays. They have their own small, slanted roofs with decorative supports underneath. The corners of the house have flat, column-like decorations called pilasters. These go up to the roof's edge, which has many pairs of decorative brackets.
The front gable, which is the triangular part of the wall under the roof, sticks out quite a bit. It also has pairs of brackets and small, block-like decorations called modillions. In the middle of this gable, there's a round window. A small, decorative hood with brackets protects this window. The main door to the house is on the right side, tucked into the corner of the "L" shape. It has a nice porch covering it. Inside, the house has very detailed and high-quality wooden decorations from when it was built.
Who Was Robert P. Carr?
The house was built around 1870 for Robert Potter Carr. He was a very important person in Bowdoinham. Mr. Carr was a successful local businessman and also a politician. He owned the town's country store, which his father had started before him.
Robert P. Carr was also one of the first people in Bowdoinham to start a business harvesting ice. This meant cutting large blocks of ice from frozen lakes or rivers. Then, he would store and sell them. This was a big business before refrigerators were common! Mr. Carr also served for many years in the state legislature. This means he helped make laws for the state of Maine. He also held important jobs at the county level, helping to run local government.
It's quite special that such a fancy Italianate-style house was built in a smaller, rural village like Bowdoinham. It shows just how important Robert P. Carr was in his community.
