Broadway Historic District (Bangor, Maine)
Encyclopedia
The Broadway Historic District in Bangor, Maine
is one of the residential neighborhoods most favored by the city's lumber barons in the early to late 19th century. A second and slightly later Bangor neighborhood of primarily elite houses, centered on West Broadway, is also listed on the National Register
as the Whitney Park Historic District. Both historic districts are also protected under local ordinance.
Broadway reflects Bangor's aspirations, in the 1820s-1830s, to become one of the chief port cities in New England, if not the East Coast. It was laid out roughly on the model of Boston
's Beacon Hill, with a green strip running down the center for the first two blocks, planted with a double row of elm
trees. A few blocks further on, the street bisects a large park (Broadway Park), which is the terminus of the Historic District. The district also includes some immediate side streets of equal status, notably French Street, whose houses overlooked downtown Bangor from a bluff.
The first residences built along the street's green strip in the 1820s-30s were large brick double-houses and single-houses, again conformed to the city-scape of Boston. Within the first decade, however, brick had given way to fully detached wooden mansions, though the size and stylistic ambitions of the owners didn't diminish. The district features houses built in every period and style from the 1820s through the early 20th century (e.g. Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Colonial Revival, etc.). Part of the district was devastated by the Great Fire of 1911
, and although most of the burned section was rebuilt, Broadway began to be abandoned as newer and more attractive elite neighborhoods began to open up (e.g. Little City and Fairmount Park). The construction of the large Catholic John Bapst High School
in the center of the district in the 1920s, for which a number of mansions were demolished, was likely the tipping point in the neighborhood's conversion to mixed use.
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
is one of the residential neighborhoods most favored by the city's lumber barons in the early to late 19th century. A second and slightly later Bangor neighborhood of primarily elite houses, centered on West Broadway, is also listed on the National Register
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the Whitney Park Historic District. Both historic districts are also protected under local ordinance.
Broadway reflects Bangor's aspirations, in the 1820s-1830s, to become one of the chief port cities in New England, if not the East Coast. It was laid out roughly on the model of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's Beacon Hill, with a green strip running down the center for the first two blocks, planted with a double row of elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
trees. A few blocks further on, the street bisects a large park (Broadway Park), which is the terminus of the Historic District. The district also includes some immediate side streets of equal status, notably French Street, whose houses overlooked downtown Bangor from a bluff.
The first residences built along the street's green strip in the 1820s-30s were large brick double-houses and single-houses, again conformed to the city-scape of Boston. Within the first decade, however, brick had given way to fully detached wooden mansions, though the size and stylistic ambitions of the owners didn't diminish. The district features houses built in every period and style from the 1820s through the early 20th century (e.g. Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Colonial Revival, etc.). Part of the district was devastated by the Great Fire of 1911
Great Fire of 1911
The Great Fire of 1911 took place in Bangor, Maine. A small fire that started in a Downtown shed went out of control and destroyed hundreds of commercial and residential buildings.-History:It started in the afternoon of April 30, 1911 on Broad Street...
, and although most of the burned section was rebuilt, Broadway began to be abandoned as newer and more attractive elite neighborhoods began to open up (e.g. Little City and Fairmount Park). The construction of the large Catholic John Bapst High School
John Bapst Memorial High School
John Bapst Memorial High School is a private, independent, collegepreparatory high school in Bangor, Maine, United States. It serves approximately 500 ninth through twelfth grade students from 50 different communities in the region...
in the center of the district in the 1920s, for which a number of mansions were demolished, was likely the tipping point in the neighborhood's conversion to mixed use.