Thompson Block facts for kids
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Thompson Block
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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 | 117, 119, 121, 123 and 125 Middle St., Portland, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1867 |
| Architect | Harding, George M. |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Part of | Portland Waterfront (ID74000353) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000127 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 28, 1973 |
| Designated CP | May 2, 1974 |
The Thompson Block is a very old and important building in downtown Portland, Maine. It was built in 1867 and designed by a famous architect named George M. Harding. This building is special because it helps show what Portland looked like a long time ago.
It stands next to two other buildings, the Rackleff Building and the Woodman Building. These were also designed by George M. Harding. Together, they create one of the best examples of old commercial streets in all of Maine. The Thompson Block was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This means it's recognized as a place important to history.
About the Thompson Block
The Thompson Block is located in an area of Portland called the Old Port. You can find it on Middle Street. It's a brick building with three and a half floors. The roof is a special kind called a mansard roof, which means it has slopes on all sides. This roof is made of colorful slate tiles.
Building Design and Features
The ground floor of the building has a cool design with iron supports. These supports form arches over the display windows and store entrances. Above the ground floor, there's a stone border that separates it from the next two floors.
The second and third floors have six sections, or "bays." These are separated by stone pillars. There are also stone bands that run horizontally across the building, above and below the windows. The windows on the second floor are rounded at the top. They have special "keystones" that look like the middle stone of an arch.
The windows on the third floor have a slightly different shape. Some of these windows are more decorated and stick out into the roofline. The roof itself has dormer windows, which are windows that stick out from the sloped roof. These also have rounded tops and keystones.
A Look Back in Time: History of the Building
The Thompson Block was built between 1867 and 1868. This was right after a huge event in Portland's history: the Great Fire of 1866. This fire destroyed a big part of the city.
Architect George M. Harding played a big role in rebuilding Portland after the fire. He designed many new buildings, including the Thompson Block and its neighbors. These buildings show some of his best work.
Over the years, many old buildings in Portland were torn down. But the Thompson Block, along with the Rackleff and Woodman buildings, survived. They are now some of the few places where you can still see what a typical street looked like after the Great Fire. They help us imagine what Portland was like in the late 1800s.
