The Isaac Farrar Mansion, known for much of the 20th Century as Symphony House, is a historic house at 166 Union Street in

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

. Built in 1833, it was the first major commission of the noted 19th-century architect

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-born American architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to su ...

. Although it was built as a private residence, it was from 1929 to 1972 owned by the

Bangor Symphony Orchestra The Bangor Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest continually-operating community orchestras in the United States. Based in Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city prope ...

and was home to its music conservatory. It is now part of the Bangor

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 in London, originally ...

. The house 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 v ...

in 1972.

Description and history

The Farrar Mansion is set on the south side of Union Street (

Maine State Route 222 State Route 222 (SR 222) is a state highway located in Penobscot County in central Maine. It begins at State Routes 7, 11, and 43 in Corinna and runs southwest into the city of Bangor, where it ends at U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and SR&nb ...

), at the southwest corner of 2nd Street on Bangor's west side. It is a -story brick building, three bays wide, with a truncated hip roof pierced by steeply-pitched gable dormers. Although the styling of the building is predominantly Greek Revival, it has a number of Colonial Revival alterations from the early 20th century, including its front portico and the bay window above. Design of the house was commissioned by Isaac Farrar, a successful businessman who came to Bangor in 1836. It was the first major commission given to

, whose early successes in Maine made possible his extensive career as one of the leading architects of the mid-19th century. The house shows that Upjohn was well conversant in the Greek Revival, although his best-known works are Gothic Revival. The house was a private residence until 1911, at which time it was acquired by the University of Maine Law School, which used it as a residency until 1929. In 1929 the

purchased the property, renamed it "Symphony House", and operated the Northern Conservatory of Music on the premises, also hosting the music branch of the

Bangor Public Library The Bangor Public Library is the public library of Bangor, Maine. It shares the URSUS online cataloging system with the University of Maine and other Maine libraries. The library's roots date to 1830, when the Bangor Mechanic Association assembl ...

. In 1972 the school closed, and the symphony sold the building the following year to the local

, which now uses it as an exhibit and reception space.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Greek Revival houses in Maine Houses completed in 1833 Houses in Bangor, Maine Richard Upjohn buildings National Register of Historic Places in Bangor, Maine YMCA buildings in the United States

Description and history

See also

References