Portsmouth Academy building

Last updated
Portsmouth Public Library
PortsmouthNH OldLibraryBuilding.jpg
USA New Hampshire location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location8 Islington St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Coordinates 43°4′31″N70°45′41″W / 43.07528°N 70.76139°W / 43.07528; -70.76139 Coordinates: 43°4′31″N70°45′41″W / 43.07528°N 70.76139°W / 43.07528; -70.76139
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built1809 (1809)
ArchitectNutter, James
NRHP reference No. 73000172 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 20, 1973

The Portsmouth Academy building is a historic academic and civic building at 8 Islington Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built in 1809, it is one of the finest surviving examples of an early 19th-century academic building in northern New England, and is attributed to James Nutter, one of the finest local builders of the period. In addition to housing the Portsmouth Academy, it later housed the city's public library, and presently houses the Portsmouth Historical Society galleries, gift shop and the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as "Portsmouth Public Library". [1]

Contents

Description and history

The former Portsmouth Academy building stands on the western fringe of downtown Portsmouth, at the southeast corner of Middle and Islington Streets. It is a two-story brick structure with a hip roof and a cut granite foundation. Its original main facade faces Islington Street, and is seven bays wide. Windows are set in rectangular openings, with marble sills and splayed lintels. A marble stringcourse separates the two floors, and the roof cornice is adorned with dentil moulding. The center three bays project slightly, and are topped by a pedimented gable with a half-round window at its center. The main entrance is in the center bay, set in a round-arch opening flanked by paired engaged Ionic columns. [2]

The Academy was designed by local designer-builder James Nutter and built in 1809. Its Federal style resembles other academy buildings (including an early building at the Phillips Exeter Academy), and its design was for a time attributed to Charles Bulfinch. [2] The building was acquired by the city and converted for use to house the Portsmouth Public Library in the 1890s. At this time its interior was extensively altered; the extant skylights were probably added at this time as well. [2] In 1954 a brick connector joined this building to the adjacent Benedict House. [3] The building served as the public library until 2006, when the library moved to a new facility at 175 Parrott Avenue. [4] The buildings are now leased to the Portsmouth Historical Society, which operates the Discover Portsmouth center.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wentworth-Gardner House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Wentworth-Gardner House is a historic mid-Georgian house, located at 50 Mechanic Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The house is operated as a museum by the Wentworth-Gardner Historic House Association. It is one of the finest extant examples of high-style Georgian architecture in New England, and played a role in the architectural preservation movement of the early 20th century. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wentworth Lear Historic Houses</span> Historic houses in New Hampshire, United States

The Wentworth Lear Historic Houses are a pair of adjacent historic houses on the south waterfront in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Both buildings and an 18th-century warehouse are owned by the Wentworth Lear Historic Houses and are operated as a house museum. They are located at the corner of Mechanic and Gardner Streets. The two houses, built c. 1750–60, represent a study in contrast between high-style and vernacular Georgian styling. The Wentworth-Gardner House is a National Historic Landmark, and the houses are listed as the Wentworth-Gardner and Tobias Lear Houses on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goffstown Public Library</span> United States historic place

The Goffstown Public Library is located at 2 High Street in Goffstown, New Hampshire. The building it occupies was designed by architects Henry M. Francis & Sons and was built in 1909. It is small Classical Revival building built of brick with stone trim, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It is one of the finest examples of Classical Revival architecture in the town, with a three-bay main facade whose central entrance projects slightly, and is topped by a pediment supported by Ionic columns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Congregational Church (Newport, New Hampshire)</span> Historic church in New Hampshire, United States

South Congregational Church is a historic church building at 58 S. Main Street in Newport, New Hampshire. The two-story brick church was built in 1823 by the carpenter John Leach for a congregation established in 1779, and is the most northerly of a series of rural churches based on a design used by Elias Carter in the design of the Congregational church in Templeton, Massachusetts. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The congregation is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoreham Congregational Church</span> Historic church in Vermont, United States

Shoreham Congregational Church is a historic church on School Street in Shoreham, Vermont. Built in 1846 by a local master builder, it is one of the state's finest examples of ecclesiastical Greek Revival architecture, and also housed local town meetings for more than a century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockingham Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Rockingham Hotel is a historic former hotel and contemporary condominium at 401 State Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. Built in 1885, it is a prominent early example of Colonial Revival architecture, built in part in homage to Woodbury Langdon, whose 1785 home occupied the site. Langdon's home and the hotel both played host to leading figures of their day, and the hotel was one of the finest in northern New England. The hotel, now converted to condominiums, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Hampshire Bank Building</span> United States historic place

The New Hampshire Bank Building is a historic commercial building at 22-26 Market Square, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built in 1803 and much altered since, it is one of the nation's oldest purpose-built bank buildings, and was until 1977 the oldest building used continuously to house banking operations. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dow Academy</span> United States historic place

Dow Academy was a historic school in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1884, it served as the town's high school until 1958, after which its building, a Georgian Revival wood-frame building built in 1903, became a centerpiece of the Franconia College campus. The building was converted into condominium residences in 1983; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boscawen Public Library</span> United States historic place

The Boscawen Public Library is the public library of Boscawen, New Hampshire, United States. It is located at 116 North Main Street. The library's first building, built in 1913 to a Colonial Revival design by Guy Lowell, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and is slowly undergoing rehabilitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelham Library and Memorial Building</span> United States historic place

The Pelham Library and Memorial Building is a historic former library building at 6 Main Street in Pelham, New Hampshire. Built in 1895, it was the town's first dedicated library building, and also serves as a memorial to its military members. It served as a library until 2003, and is now home to the Pelham Historical Society. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011, and the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library</span> United States historic place

The Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library is the public library of Wilton, New Hampshire. It is located in a Classical Revival brick building on Forest Street, near the north end of Wilton's downtown area. The building was designed by the Boston, Massachusetts, firm of McLean & Wright, and built 1905-07. It was a gift of David Almus Gregg, a local manufacturer of building parts; Gregg further gave the library an endowment in 1912. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedict House (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Benedict House, also known as the Thomas Penhallow House, is a historic house at 30 Middle Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built in 1810–1813, it is a fine example of Federal style architecture, and may be an early work of the noted local builder Jonathan Folsom. The house was joined in 1954 to the adjacent Portsmouth Academy building when it housed the city's public library; this complex is now home to Discover Portsmouth, a local tourism promotion organization. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremiah Hart House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Jeremiah Hart House is a historic house at The Hill in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Probably built in the late 18th century, it is a well-preserved example of a late Georgian urban residential structure. It was originally located on Deer Street, and was moved as part of a road widening project. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larkin-Rice House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Larkin-Rice House is a historic house at 180 Middle Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built c. 1813–15, it is a distinctive example of Federal period architecture, notable for its facade, which has five Palladian windows. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nutter-Rymes House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Nutter-Rymes House is a historic house at 409 The Hill in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built in 1809, it is an unusual double house with an arched carriageway in the middle, and an important surviving early example of urban residential design in the city. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Currently it is occupied by the apart-hotel THE INN Downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parsons Homestead</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Parsons Homestead is a historic house at 520 Washington Road in Rye, New Hampshire. Probably built about 1800 but including portions of older buildings, it is a well-preserved example of a distinctive local variant of the Federal style of architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shapley Town House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Shapley Town House, also known as the Reuben Shapley House, is a historic house at 454-456 Court Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built about 1815, it is unusual in the city as a particularly well-preserved example of a Federal period double house. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is owned by the Strawbery Banke Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Sherburne House</span> Historic house in New Hampshire, United States

The Henry Sherburne House is a historic house at 62 Deer Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built about 1766, it is a well-preserved example of late Georgian architecture in the city, distinctive for its scrolled pediment entrance surrounded, the only in situ period example of its style. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont Public Library (New Hampshire)</span> United States historic place

The Belmont Library is the public library of Belmont, New Hampshire. It is located at 146 Main Street, in an architecturally distinguished single-story brick Colonial Revival structure designed by Wells & Hudson and built in 1927-28.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth Company</span> United States historic place

The Portsmouth Company was a cotton mill established in 1832 in South Berwick, Maine, USA, one of several in the area. It was operated for many years under the control of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Hale family.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for Portsmouth Public Library". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  3. "NRHP nomination for Benedict House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-06-12.
  4. "New Library Schedule". City of Portsmouth. Retrieved 2014-06-12.