The Androscoggin County Courthouse and Jail is located at 2 Turner Street in

Auburn, Maine Auburn is a city in south-central Maine within the United States. The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County. The population was 24,061 at the 2020 census. Auburn and its sister city Lewiston are known locally as the Twin Cities ...

, the county seat of Androscoggin County. The original portion of the large brick Renaissance Revival complex was designed by

Gridley James Fox Bryant Gridley James Fox Bryant (August 29, 1816 – June 8, 1899), often referred to as G. J. F. Bryant, was a Boston architect, builder, and industrial engineer whose designs "dominated the profession of architecture in ostonand New England." ...

and was built in 1857, with a sympathetic enlargement c. 1915-20. The jail was expanded in 1970 and 1990, and is now accessed via an entrance on Pleasant Street. The complex was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983 for its architecture and its association with the history of Auburn and the county, particularly with respect to the contentious debate over the choice of county seat in the 1850s.

Description and history

Androscoggin County Courthouse, Auburn, Maine

The Androscoggin County complex occupies a significant portion of a city block in the heart of

, on a rise overlooking the

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River ( Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...

. It is bounded on the south by Court Street, the east by Turner Street, the west by Pleasant Street, and the north by Hampshire Street. The complex shares this block with the Court Street Baptist Church and the local

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

. The original portion of the complex occupies the southeast corner of the block, the junction of Turner and Court Streets. The main block housing the original courthouse occupies that spot, and is a rectangular structure oriented east-west, two stories in height, set on a basement that appears partially raised due to the sloping lot. The main entrance faces toward Turner Street, looking down toward the river. This section is topped by a steeply-pitched hip roof and an octagonal tower with cupola, and features the most elaborate styling. A narrow two-story section extends northward from this section, joining it to a rectangular block, smaller than the courthouse, that houses the original jail. Additions have been made to the west of the connecting section and attached to the west end of the courthouse block. The jail block has a single-story extension to the rear, and is further connected to the larger modern jail facility to the west by a narrow hyphen. Androscoggin County was formed in 1854 out of portions of four adjacent counties, primarily to address the burgeoning growth of the communities of Auburn and Lewiston, which lies just across the river. A fierce debate ensued over which would serve as the county seat, which was won by Auburn in 1854. The county commissioners sought to immediately solidify the decision, commissioning the design of this complex from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

architect

. The courthouse was ready for use in 1857. The first major addition, made in 1915-20, was that to the west end of the courthouse, done stylistically sympathetic to Bryant's design. The jail was twice enlarged, in 1970 and 1990, resulting in the modern jail facility (also faced mainly in brick) to the west of the old jail facility. The third floor of the complex is now home to the Androscoggin County Historical Society, which has a small museum there. The complex was listed on the

in 1983.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Government buildings completed in 1857 Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Jails on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Buildings and structures in Auburn, Maine County courthouses in Maine County government buildings in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Androscoggin County, Maine Jails in Maine 1857 establishments in Maine

Description and history

See also

References