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The former Chestnut Street Methodist Church is an historic church building at 15 Chestnut Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1856, it is rare in the city as an early example of
The church was built in 1856 for a Methodist congregation that had been meeting on the site since 1808. It is the first Methodist church into which an organ was installed. The building was designed by Charles A. Alexander, who designed a number of high-profile buildings in Portland in the 1850s, all of the others having either been demolished or significantly altered. The early Gothic style is also rare in Portland, as many buildings from the 1850s and early 1860s were lost in the 1866 fire.
In 1904, the Maine Women's Suffragist Association held their 24th annual convention at the church. The building was restored and converted into Grace restaurant in 2009 and into an event venue in 2019.
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
architecture, and is one of the few surviving works of Charles A. Alexander
Charles Albert Alexander (February 1827 – May 23, 1888) was an American architect active in the second half of the 19th century. He designed notable buildings in Boston, Portland, Maine, Portland (Maine), New York City and Chicago.
Life and c ...
, a popular architect of the period. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It now houses an event venue.
Description and history
The former Chestnut Street Church building is set in the city center, directly behind Portland City Hall on the east side of Chestnut Street. It is a single story masonry structure, built out of pressed brick with brownstone trim. Its slate roof is steeply pitched at the center, with a gentler slope over the outer aisles of the nave. Its foundation is brick, faced in brownstone to a height of . Its walls are buttressed, with Gothic arched windows between the buttresses on the side walls. The main facade is symmetrical, with a pair of equal-height towers flanking the central gable. The towers originally had more elaborate spires, but these were removed for safety reasons in the 1950s, as were similar spires on the buttresses. There are three entrances, one at the center between the towers, and one each on the side aisles, all set in Gothic arched openings.
The church was built in 1856 for a Methodist congregation that had been meeting on the site since 1808. It is the first Methodist church into which an organ was installed. The building was designed by Charles A. Alexander, who designed a number of high-profile buildings in Portland in the 1850s, all of the others having either been demolished or significantly altered. The early Gothic style is also rare in Portland, as many buildings from the 1850s and early 1860s were lost in the 1866 fire.
In 1904, the Maine Women's Suffragist Association held their 24th annual convention at the church. The building was restored and converted into Grace restaurant in 2009 and into an event venue in 2019.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, MaineReferences
External links
{{Authority control Churches in Portland, Maine Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Gothic Revival church buildings in Maine Churches completed in 1856 1856 establishments in Maine 19th-century Methodist church buildings in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine Methodist churches in Maine