Doughty Block | |
![]() | |
Location | 265 Water St., Augusta, Maine |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°18′55″N69°46′28″W / 44.31528°N 69.77444°W |
Area | 0.2 acres (0.081 ha) |
Built | 1890 |
Built by | Charles Fletcher |
Architectural style | Italianate |
MPS | Augusta Central Business District MRA |
NRHP reference No. | 86001691 [1] |
Added to NRHP | May 2, 1986 |
The Doughty Block is a historic commercial building at 265 Water Street in downtown Augusta, Maine. Built in 1890, it is the downtown's only example of a 19th-century high rise. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. [1]
The Doughty Block stands in Augusta's downtown commercial district, on the east side of Water Street, opposite the Key Plaza just north of Front Street. It is a six-story masonry structure, noticeably taller than the other 19th-century buildings lining the east side of Water Street. It is built out of red brick with stone trim. The front facade is three bays wide, with a modern storefront (c. 1970) on the ground floor. The upper levels are divided by stone stringcourses, emphasizing the building horizontally, and its windows are set in round-arch openings, whose voussoirs alternate between stone and brick. It has a project cornice at the top, studded with a combination of Italianate brackets and modillions. [2]
The block was built in 1890 for Charles Doughty by Charles Fletcher, a prominent local builder. The building's styling is somewhat retardaire, as the Italianate was out of fashion when it was built. However, the styling of the windows gives it a suggestion of Renaissance style, which was then coming into fashion. [2]