Romanesque Revival

Maine State Building // 1893

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The Maine State Building is a one-of-a-kind landmark located in the Poland Springs Historic District of Poland, Maine, though it was not originally built in this location! The Victorian structure was built in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (aka the Chicago World’s Fair) as one of the State Buildings constructed by each U.S. state to highlight their history. Designed by Chicago architect Charles Sumner Frost, a Lewiston, Maine native and MIT graduate, the building was constructed of granite with a slate roof. After the close of the fair, the Ricker family of Poland Spring, purchased the building from the state. They had it dismantled, moved to Maine, and rebuilt on their resort, which brought even more visitors to their property. In Maine, it reopened in 1895 as a library and art gallery for their hotel guests. Along with the Norway Building in Norway, The Dutch House in Brookline (a personal favorite), the Palace of Fine Arts (now the Museum of Science and Industry) and World Congress Auxiliary Building (now the Art Institute of Chicago) in Chicago, the Maine State Building is one of the few remaining buildings from the 1893 World’s Fair, and the only State Building remaining. It has been lovingly preserved and operated by the Poland Spring Historical Society, who operate the building as a museum.

Georgetown Peabody Library // 1907

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The Georgetown Peabody Library began on September 19, 1866, following a generous gift from George Peabody (1795-1869), a great man who is considered the father of modern philanthropy. George Peabody’s interest in the town was due to the fact that it was the birthplace of his mother, Judith (Dodge) Peabody, and for many years the home of his sister, Mrs. Judith Peabody Russell. Mr. Peabody decided to donate funds for the town’s first public library and also had 2400 books brought from London for its initial book collection. The wooden library building was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Bryant & Gilman and opened in 1869. After a few decades, the first library proved inadequate for the town’s needs and the present building was built with invested Peabody funds. In 1904, construction began on the new, present library building, a robust, brick structure in the Romanesque style with the firm of Cooper & Bailey furnishing the plans. The building has since been added onto as the town grew, but it retains its significance architecturally and historically for ties to Mr. George Peabody.

Ashby Public Library // 1902

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The Ashby Public Library in Ashby, Massachusetts, was built in 1902, completely funded by a donation from Edwin Chapman (1841-1915) who lived across the street from the new library. Mr. Chapman was raised in Ashby and became a wealthy Boston-area merchant in the meat trade by the late 19th century. Before this library was built, the town’s library collection was housed in the Wyman Tavern. The building was designed by architect Henry M. Francis in the Neoclassical style with Romanesque detail in brick and brownstone to make the building fireproof. The library was added onto in the rear in 2006 by The Galante Architecture Studio, which is recessed and mostly visible from the rear parking area. The addition is Modern in style to distinguish itself from the main library building.

Former Schrafft’s Candy Factory – Converse HQ // 1907

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Possibly my favorite building in the Bulfinch Triangle/North Station area of Boston is this brick behemoth. Known as the Schrafft’s Candy Factory, Hoffman Building, Lovejoy Wharf, Submarine Signal Building, etc., the building was constructed in 1907 from plans by Codman & Despradelle and first-occupied by the Schrafft’s Candy Company. It held the candy makers until 1928, when Schrafft’s moved to Charlestown, building their massive factory in Sullivan Square. A landmark in the Panel Brick style of architecture, prevalent in industrial and multi-family structures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the old factory saw many later uses from cold storage, to a Submarine Signal Co. before it was largely vacant by the end of the 20th century. Through Preservation Tax Credits and grants, developer Related Beal was able to reimagine the building, restoring it to its former glory. The Architectural Team (TAT) oversaw the renovations and expansion of the building with a glass crown with the project accommodating the corporate headquarters for world-renowned sneaker manufacturer, Converse.

William L. Lockhart Company Building // 1887

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This six-story brick and sandstone building at Causeway and Staniford streets near North Station in Boston was built in 1887 as the headquarters and sales center for William L. Lockhart & Co., manufacturers and wholesale dealers of coffins, caskets, and undertakers’ supplies, which at the time was considered the largest establishment of its kind in New England. The company had its factory in East Cambridge and built this structure as offices and sales rooms. The building is an excellent example of the Romanesque Revival style, which is typified by the use of round arched windows at the top floor and the use of inlaid carved stone panels. Frederick Nason Footman a relatively unknown architect is said to have designed the building for the Lockhart Company, with the building serving as an important piece of the company’s portfolio. Shop space was created on the street level, with the company’s offices, salesrooms and casket hardware department occupying the second floor, show rooms on the third floor, shipping department on the fourth floor and storage on the fifth and sixth floors. While the adjacent parcels have been razed and are still vacant, this building serves as an important visual gateway into what was once the West End, a neighborhood that was almost entirely demolished during urban renewal.

Bethshan Cottage // 1884

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Bethshan Cottage is one of Newport’s (many) “hidden” gems that gets far too little attention from publications! Located on Gibbs Avenue, down the block from Eveherdee and William Barton Rogers‘ summer cottage, “Morningside”, Bethshan was built in 1884 on land purchased by Major Theodore Kane Gibbs. Theodore was the son of William C. Gibbs, the 10th Governor of Rhode Island, and served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, mustering out as a Major in 1870. Newport-based architect Dudley Newton designed this cottage for Gibbs, which blends nearly every major architectural style of the late 19th century under one, beautiful gambrel roof. The red granite stone walls, red brick trim, red fish-scale slate roof, even the rust-colored mortar, all work together to create a lovely composition, unlike anything else seen in Newport. According to Newport’s Assessor, the house is presently an apartment house.

Norwood Press Complex // 1897

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Now that is an interesting example of adaptive use… What do you think of this?

The Norwood Press was formed in 1894 by several companies which consolidated to form a company that covered all aspects of the book-making process. AII three companies had been located in Boston, but were lured to Norwood by free land offered by the local Business Association along with tax incentives that were too good to pass up. The underutilized land was quickly redeveloped in the 1890s with the several-building complex built on Washington Street in Norwood, Massachusetts with the largest building (pictured) constructed in 1897. By 1904,the press room of this plant was one of the largest in the U.S.,producing nearly seven million volumes ranging from 100 to 1,600 pages each. By 1917, the Norwood Press employed 600 workers in town! The Romanesque Revival style brick factory stands out for its five-story clocktower with (now enclosed) arches and corbelling. The Norwood Press closed after WWII and the plant was purchased by the Northrup Company. Today, the warehouse is under new ownership and is used as a storage facility, with many of the windows enclosed for the storage units.

Sayles Mill // 1882-2023

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Dayville, a mill village in the town of Killingly, Connecticut, is typical of many similar 19th century villages in the region. Dayville was named after John Day (1756-1838) a Revolutionary War veteran who later owned the water privileges on the Five Mile River. With the opening of the Norwich and Worcester Railroad in 1830, Dayville became a stop along the route and also became a hub for freight transport for other manufacturing villages along the river. In 1858, brothers Harris (1817-1893) and Sabin Lorenzo Sayles (1827-1891) from Rhode Island, purchased a mill site in Dayville and established a woolen manufacturing company. Harris retired in 1879 and Sabin continued the business as the Sabin L. Sayles Company. Sabin had a modern brick mill building constructed here in 1882-1883 which employed 250 people in production of woolen broadcloth. After Sabin’s death, the company was sold and modified numerous times, eventually becoming a metal products plant and later was left vacant. In the 2010s, funding and plans were begun to redevelop the old mill, but that was abandoned after a massive fire in 2023 destroyed the building, leaving just the six-story tower intact.

Photo courtesy of Journeysthrumylens

Old Chaplin Public Library // 1911

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In his will, lifelong Chaplin, Connecticut resident William Ross (1833-1908) bequeathed his hometown funds to erect its first purpose-built public library. As planning began, his widow, Emily Jones Ross donated even more to fund a building fitting of her late husband. The Queen Anne/Romanesque Revival style library is built of pressed brick with granite trim and features a prominent rounded corner bay of cedar shingles. The masonry work was done by George E. Snow but I could not locate the architect. The town outgrew the library and moved it into a new building nearby, selling the William Ross Public Library to a private owner, who appears to be renovating it now.

Haskell Free Library and Opera House // 1901

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How many buildings do you know of that straddle two countries?! Well, here is one of the most iconic buildings in Vermont, the Haskell Free Library and Opera House of Derby. The building was gifted to the villages of Derby Line, Vermont and Rock Island, Quebec, by Martha Stewart Haskell and her son, Horace Stewart Haskell, who wanted to leave their mark on the town. The building was designed by James Ball of Rock Island, Quebec and is a high-style structure comprised of both a library and opera house for residents. Designed in a eclectic mix of Romanesque Revival and Classical Revival, there is a lot to look at from both countries! Some of the outstanding features of the building include the structural and ornamental use of granite, stained glass windows imported from Scotland, ornate fireplaces and rich woodworking on the library interior, and one of the most elaborate opera house interiors in a completely preserved condition in Vermont.