Main Street–Frye Street Historic District
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The Main Street–Frye Street Historic District is a historic district comprising houses on Frye Street and parts of College Street and Main Street in
Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ) is the List of municipalities in Maine, second most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine, with the city's population at 37,121 as of the 2020 United States census. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, Augusta, the sta ...
. This area was part of the most fashionable residential district of the city in the second half of the 19th century, and was home to many of the city's elite. Its architectural styles are diverse, with a significant number of homes designed by local architect George M. Coombs. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.


Description and history

The Main Street–Frye Street Historic District encompasses 37 houses, primarily located on two blocks of Main and Frye Streets, between the city's downtown area and the early portions of the
Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...
campus. The district extends on the east side of Main Street, between Mountain Avenue and Whipple Street, and includes three houses on the west side, north of Central Street. It includes all properties on Frye Street, running east from Main to College Streets, and three adjacent houses on the west side of College Street north of Frye. Many of these properties are now part of the Bates campus. Lewiston was developed as a major textile center beginning in the 1830s by John and William Frye. The Franklin Company, which operated the mills, owned much of the land in the area, and laid out its streets. Bates College was founded in 1864, named for later mill owner Benjamin E. Bates. The area in between the city's downtown and the Bates campus was originally farmland, which began to be sold off for development in 1851. One of the first houses built on Frye Street was that of
Oren B. Cheney Oren Burbank Cheney (December 10, 1816 – December 22, 1903) was an American politician, minister, and statesman who was a key figure in the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist movement in the United States during the later 19th cent ...
, the founder of Bates College, in 1866. The Frye Street area became popular with many of the city's business and political elites because it lay just beyond company-owned lands, and was close to the college. As a result, a significant number of architecturally high-quality houses were built, from
Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...
and
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
cottages to elaborate
Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly Eclecticism in architecture, eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many differe ...
mansions. There are 12 Queen Anne Victorians, and 11 Colonial Revival houses. Twelve of the district's 37 houses were designed by local architect George M. Coombs, providing a distinctive view of his residential designs. The area contains the Sen. William P. Frye House and the James C. Lord House, both previously listed on the National Register. Bates College now owns most of the houses on Frye Street.


See also

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Androscoggin County, Maine __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Androscoggin County, Maine. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Androscoggin C ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Main Street-Frye Street Historic District Historic districts in Androscoggin County, Maine Bates College Buildings and structures in Lewiston, Maine School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine University and college academic buildings in the United States Culture of Lewiston, Maine Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Lewiston, Maine Second Empire architecture in Maine