Norton House Historic District

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Norton House Historic District
FalmouthME NortonHouseHD2.jpg
The main house
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Location 241 and 243 Foreside Rd., Falmouth, Maine
Coordinates 43°43′54″N70°12′36″W / 43.73167°N 70.21000°W / 43.73167; -70.21000 Coordinates: 43°43′54″N70°12′36″W / 43.73167°N 70.21000°W / 43.73167; -70.21000
Area 2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
Built 1912 (1912)
Architect Stevens, John Calvin; Parker, Carl Rust, et al.
Architectural style Prairie School, Shingle Style, et al.
NRHP reference # 03001501 [1]
Added to NRHP January 28, 2004

The Norton House Historic District encompasses two properties that formerly constituted the central portion of a suburban country estate in Falmouth, Maine. Located on Foreside Road, overlooking Casco Bay, the landscaped properties include a house and former carriage house designed by John Calvin Stevens and John Howard Stevens in 1912. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. [1]

Falmouth, Maine Town in Maine, United States

Falmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,185 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.

Casco Bay inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States

Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its southern edge and the Port of Portland lies within.

John Calvin Stevens American artist and architect

John Calvin Stevens was an American architect who worked in the Shingle Style, in which he was a major innovator, and the Colonial Revival style. He designed more than 1,000 buildings in the state of Maine.

Contents

Description and history

Until the early 20th century, the area known as Falmouth Foreside was a predominantly rural and agricultural area. By 1910 a full-scale conversion of the area to coastal estate homes was well underway, with landowners selling off coastal properties for development. The family of Ralph S. Norton, an insurance executive based in Portland, owned a small farm in the area, and Norton decided in 1911 to build a more substantial summer house on a high point overlooking Casco Bay. He retained John Howard Stevens, who developed a plan that included a house, carriage barn, and landscaped garden terraces. It is surmised that Carl Rust Parker, a prominent Portland landscape architect, was involved in the design of the grounds. The Norton estate was originally several hundred acres, most of which has since been subdivided (including the property of the Portland Yacht Club). Ownership of the house and barn was divided in 1967, after which the barn was converted to a residence. [2]

Portland, Maine Largest city in Maine, United States

Portland is a city in the U.S. state of Maine, with a population of 67,067 as of 2017. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, more than one-third of Maine's total population, making it the most populous metro in northern New England. Portland is Maine's economic center, with an economy that relies on the service sector and tourism. The Old Port district is known for its 19th-century architecture and nightlife. Marine industry still plays an important role in the city's economy, with an active waterfront that supports fishing and commercial shipping. The Port of Portland is the largest tonnage seaport in New England.

The surviving Norton estate properties are accessed via private drive on the southeast side of Foreside Road (Maine State Route 88), between Old Powerhouse Road, which provides access to the yacht club, and Ramsdell Road. The drive is marked by a low stone wall with posts, and a small gatehouse on the right side, designed by John Howard Stevens. The main house is at the left side of the end of the drive, while the carriage barn is to the right. The house is a handsome 2-1/2 story structure, with an eclectic blend of Prairie School, Shingle, and Colonial Revival styles. Its interior finish is predominantly in Arts and Crafts styling that was fashionable at the time of its construction. The house's original view to the bay is now obscured by a house built on a subdivision of the estate. [2]

Maine State Route 88 highway in Maine

State Route 88 (SR 88) is a state highway in southern Maine, United States. It runs south to north for 8.37 miles (13.47 km), from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Falmouth to US 1 in Yarmouth. It runs to the east of US 1, and its speed limit is 35 miles per hour (56 km/h). Over its course, its furthest distance from US 1 is about 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km). This occurs in its Falmouth Foreside section.

Prairie School architectural style

Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands, integration with the landscape, solid construction, craftsmanship, and discipline in the use of ornament. Horizontal lines were thought to evoke and relate to the wide, flat, treeless expanses of America's native prairie landscape.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Maine Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Maine.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Norton House Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
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