The How Houses are a trio of Federal period houses on adjacent lots facing Danforth and Pleasant Streets in Portland, Maine. Built between 1799 and 1818, they are a surviving reminder of how the surrounding area was once developed; they are now surrounded by more modern commercial properties. They were listed as a group on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980; the

Daniel How House The Daniel How House is an historic house at 23 Danforth Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1799, it is one of the oldest surviving residences on Portland's Neck, notably surviving the city's great 1866 fire. It is an excellent and well-prese ...

was separately listed in 1973.

Description and history

The first of the How houses to be built is the

at 23 Danforth Street. Built in 1799, it is a -story brick building, trimmed with granite, and featuring a

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

entrance

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

. It was built by Daniel How, a native of Methuen, Massachusetts, on land belonging to his father-in-law. The second house, that of Daniel's son John, was built by Daniel as a wedding present for his son in 1817. It stands at 40 Pleasant Street, and has similar Federal styling to the father's house. Its entrance is recessed in an archway, with sidelight and fanlight

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

windows. The third house, a double house at 30–32 Pleasant Street, was built in 1818 by Daniel's brother Joseph. It is three stories in height, built of brick with granite trim like the others, and has entrances styled similar to those of John's house. At the time Daniel How built his house, it directly overlooked the waterfront and Casco Bay to the northeast, and Commercial Street, which parallels Danforth on the waterfront, did not exist. The properties have in the intervening years been hemmed in by later commercial development, but are a well-preserved reminder of the area's early 19th-century appearance. File:How Houses - 30-32 Pleasant St.JPG, 30-32 Pleasant St. File:How Houses - 40 Pleasant St.JPG, 40 Pleasant St.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Federal architecture in Maine Houses completed in 1799 Houses in Portland, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine

Description and history

See also

References