The Nichols Block (1892) is a prominent

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style commercial building in downtown

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 ...

. Designed by local architect

Wilfred E. Mansur Wilfred E. Mansur (1855–1921) was the most prominent architect in late 19th and early 20th century Bangor, Maine. Life and career He designed many private and municipal buildings, including the Penobscot County Courthouse and at least seven sc ...

, it is 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 ...

as part of the

Great Fire of 1911 Historic District The Great Fire of 1911 Historic District is located in downtown Bangor, Maine, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. It preserves Maine's most significant collection of early 20th century public and commerc ...

. The building is one of few in the Exchange St. district of Bangor to have escaped both the

Great Fire of 1911 The Great Fire of 1911 took place in Bangor, Maine, United States, on April 30 and May 1, 1911. A small fire that started in a downtown shed went out of control and destroyed hundreds of commercial and residential buildings. History It started ...

and the so-called

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

programme of the late 1960s. The building was commissioned by Eugene C. Nichols (better known as E.C. Nichols) who owned one of the largest dry & fancy goods stores in 19th century Bangor. The E.C. Nichols Co. store was on Main Street, across the Kenduskeag Stream from the site of the 1892 Nichols Block. Nichols' new building was apparently an investment, and was initially occupied by Meyer M. Levy's Bangor Clothing Store and, on the upper stories, a "Social Hall" rented for functions. The opening function was a dance, just before Christmas in 1892, hosted by Miss June Nichols, the owner's daughter. Exchange St. was at that time a center of social life in Bangor, with numerous hotels and bars. The central train station was at the end of the street.

was Bangor's most prominent turn-of-the-century architect. In 1895 he also designed E.C. Nichol's house, a wooden mansion with a prominent round tower, still standing on Union St. at the corner with High St.''Bangor Daily Whig & Courier'', Sept. 24, 1895, p. 1

References

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External links

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Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Buildings and structures in Bangor, Maine Commercial buildings completed in 1892 National Register of Historic Places in Bangor, Maine