 Most Endangered |
1999 Maine's Most Endangered Historic Properties Learn about Maine's Most Endangered Historic Properties success stories! This year's Saved! properties: NEW! Bangor Water Works! First Order Fresnel Lens Seguin Island Light, Boothbay Harbor Opera House, and Franco-American Heritage Center (formerly Saint Mary's Roman Catholic Church)
Wilson Hall, Bucksport - Hancock County
For information contact the Bucksport Town Office at (207) 469-7368. .
Soule Shipyard Building, South Freeport - Cumberland County
For more information, contact Randall Wade Thomas, Director of the Freeport Historical Society at (207) 865-3170, 45 Main Street, Freeport, ME 04032.
Androscoggin Mill Block, 269-271 Park Street, Lewiston - Androscoggin County
For more information, contact The City of Lewiston at (207) 784-2951 or City Hall, 27 Pine Street, Lewiston, ME 04240.
China Masonic Hall, China - Kennebec County
GONE. The China Masonic Hall was completed in 1825 and had been wholly owned by the Masons since 1919. This two-story, Federal Style brick and granite building formerly served as the post office and general store, and was located prominently in the center of the China National Historic District. Deferred maintenance had long threatened its structural stability, and the cost of a significant renovation exceeded local coffers. In the spring of 2007, this building was demolished and plans for the land include the creation of a parking lot for the new adjacent Masonic Hall.
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The 1999 Most Endangered Historic Properties list entries spans the state and include historically significant properties already listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and represents a cross-section of Maine history from 1825 to 1927. From an opera house in Boothbay Harbor to a waterworks in Bangor, a church in Lewiston and a Masonic Hall in China, the list identifies properties threatened by deterioration, disuse and demolition. "Older buildings can lose the uses for which they were originally constructed but retain their architectural and historical value. The properties included in the 1999 'Most Endangered' list exemplify several preservation challenges that are all too common," former Maine Preservation Executive Director Roxanne Eflin said.
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Endangered.
Constructed in 1851, Wilson Hall was the first building
built for the Eastern Maine Conference Seminary. After the seminary closed
in 1933, the Oblate Fathers purchased and renovated it, operating it for
missionary training until 1971. Situated on Oak Hill overlooking the Penobscot
River and historic Fort Knox, Wilson Hall is threatened by deferred maintenance
and lack of use. Now, privately owned, the building has not been in use
for over 15 years and is for sale. 
Endangered.
The Soule Shipyard Building in South Freeport is
the last remaining historic commercial structure associated with shipping
in the Harraseeket Historic District, one of the largest districts in
the state. In the 1830's the Soule Shipyard launched many large commercial
vessels that were renowned for their beauty and endurance. Brewer's South
Freeport Marina currently owns the building, which they use to store masts,
rigging and sails. Numerous meetings between the owner and preservationists
have not yet led to a resolution and the building remains in peril. A
potential relocation of the building may be the only solution.
Endangered.
Built by the Androscoggin Mill Corporation in 1866
as permanent employee housing, the Androscoggin Mill Block is one of the
few remaining examples of the 44 residential mill blocks built between
1852 and 1866. The Italianate style building is one of three of identical
design and is owned by the City of Lewiston. It has been vacant for many
years and is suffering from deferred maintenance, however, a new Certified
Local Government (CLG) matching grant will help fund needed roof and window
repairs, making it habitable again soon.