Built 1867 (1867) Designated CP May 2, 1974 Area 404.7 m² Architect George M. Harding | NRHP Reference # 72000075 Opened 1867 Added to NRHP 23 February 1972 | |
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Location 133-141 Middle St., Portland, Maine Part of Portland Waterfront (#74000353) Architectural styles Second Empire architecture, Second Empire architecture in Europe Similar North School, Willard Beach, One City Center, Maine Narrow Gauge R, Children's Museum & Theatre o | ||
The Woodman Building is a historic commercial block located at 133-141 Middle Street in Portland, Maine. It was designed by architect George M. Harding and built in 1867. It is one of the most elaborate and high-style commercial buildings built in the wake of the city's devastating 1866 fire, and is one of Maine's largest Second Empire buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972.
Description and history
The Rackleff Building is located in Portland's Old Port area, on the north side of Middle Street, at its corner with Pearl Street. It is flanked on the east side by the Rackleff Building. It is a four-story masonry structure, built out of brick with stone and iron trim elements. The ground floor storefronts are articulated by iron pilasters and arches, while windows on the second and third floors are combined in groups of one, two, or three, under elaborate stone arches. Stone beltcourses highlight the bottom of these arches, and also the join the sills of the windows. The building is capped by a mansard roof in the Second Empire style, with paired brackets in the eaves, corner turrets, and elaborate dormers.
The block was built in 1867 for the Woodman family after the 1866 fire devastated a large part of the city. It is one of three adjacent buildings designed by George M. Harding (the others are the Rackleff Building and the Thompson Block, further east on Middle Street), which comprise one of the city's finest blocks of period architecture. Of these, the Woodman Building is the most elaborate. The ironwork on the ground floor is a rare surviving work of a local foundry, the Portland Company.