Thomas A. Hill House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Grand Army Memorial Home
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Thomas A. Hill House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 159 Union St., Bangor, Maine |
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| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1840 |
| Architect | Richard Upjohn |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000105 |
| Added to NRHP | October 31, 1972 |
The Thomas A. Hill House is a very old and important building in Bangor, Maine. It is also known as the Grand Army Memorial Home. This historic house is located at 159 Union Street.
Today, the house holds many interesting items. It is home to the collections of the Bangor Historical Society. It also has a special collection about the American Civil War. The house was built in 1836. It was designed by a famous architect named Richard Upjohn.
Over the years, two of Bangor's mayors lived in this house. In 1944, it became a museum. Because of its history, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. This list helps protect important places in the United States.
About the Hill House
The Hill House is just southwest of downtown Bangor. You can find it where Union and High Streets meet. Across Union Street is another famous building. It is called the Isaac Farrar Mansion. Like the Hill House, it is a brick building in the Greek Revival style. Both were designed by Richard Upjohn.
The Hill House is a two-and-a-half-story building. It has a roof that slopes down on two sides. There are four chimneys on the ends of the house. The building sits on a strong granite foundation. A porch with a single roof covers the front of the house. It has tall, round columns that stand on granite bases. These columns are in the Ionic style.
The second floor has a special raised section called a monitor. This part has small, square windows with diamond-shaped panes. Below the monitor, there are fancy dormer windows. These windows stick out from the roof. Inside, some parts of the house have changed. This happened when it was turned into a museum.
History of the House
A local businessman named Thomas A. Hill asked Richard Upjohn to design this house. It was finished in 1836. But Thomas Hill faced money problems. This was during a time called the Panic of 1837. Because of this, he had to sell the house.
Samuel and Matilda Dale bought the house. Samuel Dale was also a well-known businessman. He served as the mayor of Bangor several times. A very important visitor came to the house in 1871. It was President Ulysses S. Grant!
Other important people lived here too. Allan Gilman, Bangor's first mayor, once called it home. Dr. James F. Cox also had his medical office in the house.
In 1944, a group bought the house. This group was the local chapter of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. They made it into the Grand Army of the Republic Home. This was a place to remember Civil War soldiers.
In 1952, the Sons allowed the Bangor Historical Society to store their items upstairs. This led to some changes inside the house. A round staircase was removed, and the decorations were updated. The historical society took full ownership of the property in 1974.
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