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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1984-12-10 85-55 ORDINANCE85-55 Introduced by.Cowcilor Cott, December 10, 1984 CITY OF BANGOR (TITLE.) 9n}Ilt2i WV Amending_Chaptgr VII, Article 4, Section 5 e£_.._ the Laws and Ordinances of the City of Bangor - Creation of the Beit ordaiud by the City Coanoit of City ofBanw, ae folio n: THAT, Chapter VII,.Article 4, Section 5 of the Laws and Ordinances -ef the City of Bangor be amended by adding the following thereto: 5.1.7 Great Fire District. An area generally bounded on the east by ParkStreet and PrenCE Street, on the north by the properties n the northeasterly side of Harlow Street, on the west by the pro- perties on the northwesterly side of Central Street, and on the south by the properties on the northerly side of State Street and the properties on the northerly side of York Street; said area being described more particularly on a plan entitled Historic Districts - Great Fire of 1911 Historic District" on file in the office of the City Clerk. Statement of Purpose: The purpose of this amendment to the so called Historic Preservation Ordinance is to create a w historic district to encompass buildings erected in the downtown area subsequent to the Great Fire of 1911. A facsimile of the afore- mentioned plan being attached hereto. IN CITY COVNC IL December 10, 1984 Referred to Historic Preservation CO i - CO ider next seed TH. CITY IUc W� IN CITY COUNCIL December 26, 1984 Referred to Historic Preservation c considez exmg. Cl" In City Council ]anauty 14,1985 Passed,, vete 9 Yes Voting Yes Brnwn,Cox,eayis,fxankie Caac,Me Catchy Tilley, wheeler, Willey ty Cls 85-55 ONOINANC2 ( TITIE.) Scenting Mapter VII, Article 4, �A3 Section 5 of the Daws and Ordinances of the f'ilfp0 City of senior - Creation of the Greet Fire Y g4. C District 0, &J, " 9 a W IntimNM %. /14 Qamcumar GREAT FIRE OF 1911 HISTORIC DISTRICT (NATIONAL REGISTER) r �a� licete nominated properties 14 • - 5 16 _ 13 • 12 18 � W- F • m x n x 11 49 son 51 2G a 1 6` iuu 9 z 4 A 21 x 2 8 Fa 22._ %48 �m licete nominated properties January J, 1985 TO: Bangor City Council FROM: Bangor Historic Preservation Commission SUBJECT: Inclusion of the Great Fire District under the Bangor Historic Preservation Ordinance The Great Fire District is nationally recognized a pique collection of early 20th Century commercial architecture. It has been included in the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service. In addition it forms an extremely important part of Bangor's.i age - N the leading commercial center for northern Maine. (Attached i6 the statement ofsignificance included in the national registratidn nomination form.) The BangorHistoric Preservation Commission held a informational meeting on the proposed district on November 13, 1984 and a public hearing on November 27, 1984. A mailing was sent to all property owners within the district before each of these meetings. At both meetings there was general support for the district. Some who had already done work on their properties considered it an important protection for their investment. Some who hoped to do work on their property felt it would be an incentive to rehabilitation. No one present expressed any opposition. The Commission voted unanimously to recommend inclusion of the Great Fire District under the Bangor Historic Preservation Ordinance. William s Chairman W. Phillips cnaizman WWP/rp Attachments S. Significance Period areas of Slanmcancs--elwok and justify below Prehistoric; oologygreecorlc _X community planning _X- landscape architecture— religion —1400-1499 ercbeolc Y'istodc nmlon —law science —1500.1599 —agriculture _ economics Ilkmture x audience IB00-im X architecture 1' education —military wflav —1]00.1799 _ad —melnearins _music humeMWlen - l- ia99 V commence dplormlcnyettemenl phllowphy —timer �19d0. �cdmmunlwtlons —Industry X pollllcwgoyemmenl _uanspoNaon _magnitude —amw(epedly) BuTWWINmuam Stelement of Signllldenae (in nem learatira old The "Great Fire of 1911 Historic District" preserves Maine's most significant collection of early 20tia-century commercial buildings, and comlarorates an urban re -building Will anatched only, by Facileness after its cam onflagratim of 1866. On April 30, 1911, a fire which sWrtel in a dockside war house laidlreste almst Wlf of MAjor's commercial dowattowm (100 business blacks), as well An 7 churches and 285 Window. Tne majority of the hurtled Wildings being woollen and crowded closely rcgether, Bangar's small fire department - although bolstered by units from as far away as Portland - scored no victories in fighting the blaze. The Bergner Fire was Maine's last, and me of her most devastating, urban conflagrations, a phenomenal virtually unique W the period before 4brld War I. Although only 2 people ware killed, the city's ecomnry and services were naturally paralyzed following the fire. The post office, customs Muse, telephone exchange, central fire station, telegraph station, library, arc] a number of banks and perished. only 608 of the commercial loss was insured, ubnnetheless, the first new louse began rising on burned ground within days, and on May 11th the first new, comercial Wilding (Graham Building) ai. Mere began a perm re of -Wilding which, although typical of the nismnet�nthcentury in its trmendom spa ], was unprecedented in its employ, of national tslerrts and Lire attention given W city planning. The result was Maine's fire[ (rated still mast significant) oompleWly 20th -century Brinell space. Barger in 1911 fund lcog been divorced frau the lumber Waitress, her raised afire through rest of the 19tH century. 'fhb city's emnrny had remained dynamic mt only because Bargor comercially serviced a large rural hinterland (The automobile had mt yet tapped ler full potential in this respect), Wt because of dreap electric prefer provided by the pioneer plantof the Berger Hydro FMectric Company at Veol Boasting that she was "The hest-lightal city on earth" in 1911, verb 11 light bulbs per person tan derma ion average at the tine), Bangor provided small manufacturing firms wit1t a cheap and easy alternative to waWe-poser. Stall local factories manufactured everyrluing from shoes and moccasins W fishing rads and good 5d cigars. Bangor had We of the largest and most productive [rvnlc-manufacturing planes in New England. It was lot surprisirg drat the first Wilding commissioned after the fire, and one of the largest oxmstructed in the reWildiM, was fine Graham Black, adnal by John R. Graham, president of the Bangor Hydro (a subsidiary of General Blatric Corp.). Graham, wino lost fus won Muse in the fire, was one of the prime answers in the rebuilding, constructing 7 new buildings, including a new Muse for himself, a new pmt office and tw, small factories, in addition W company Wildings. line Hydro's new electrical sub -statim, a praire-style WW1e by Jardine, Kent, and Hill of New York, was one of the cost progressfve and stridently modernistic designs of the rebuilding. TW dwmtvm tluat was burned had been a conglameraW of well busimmes in wooden buildings which were beginning W share space with Wick office blacks. rine post -fire downtown that areae in tie burned area was quite dominated by office Wildings, with Wit- nercia� spas available only m the groomedflours of mrlti-storied structures. rhe larger buildings was corporate-wmsd, either by the Hydro, banks, trust companies, or real estate firms. Many of the ground -floor retailers Weral W office workers: druggists, rem - grocers, beauticians, etc. she area had bernll An office a business, me distim firm a anmereial district, a character it still retains today. It is the perfect paysical W, I IIIII'. M, ;._..,024-0018 United States Department of the Interior EXP. 12/31/84 National park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form THE GFFAT FISH OF 1911 HISICRIC DIS'PRICf CwnimMNion esso than number 8 Pogo 2 representation of the -Office- arld" that was just being created in Arerim at the turn of the century. A powerful yet benign Presence was exercised by city gwernnent. Imrediately following the blaze, a mmicipal planning comatose was form d, and they in turn retained a Landscape architect. In his report to the crnmittee and city fathers, Warren H. iwmLg of Boston made the first mipzehensive proposals ever offered in Maine on the design of a city center. Mannings suggestions included the widening of certain streets to awavodate the m;tor trafficthathe forsaw as inevitable, the closing of select streets, re-routing of trolly liras, siting of the city high school and library side-by-side on thea lots they no,; oempy, and, asst importantly, the creation of parks m the two artificial malls in the Readuslmag Stream. The parks were envisiared as providing unique breathing space for the district's office workers as well as serving as a break against future fires. Although it is unclear what part Manning played in the actual design of the Ke duskeag and Ncrunbega malls (1914 and 1933 respectively), he must be credited with their conception, and thus providing Mine with a unique urban park. City gmrermant's presence was also felt in two of the district's major camdssions, the High School and Public Library, both constructed in 1912. A remarkable groeth in the poets and responsibilities of city government had been occurring since the 1890's, den city hall moved Eras a small wooden Federal -era structure to an imrence Renaissance edifice; non those responsibilities included educating youth to Serve business and providing an aver -increasing and literate middle-class with reading materials. The Boston firm of Peal ly s Stearns drew the plans for both the nes High School and Library, dual essays in Renaissance styling and monstrously expensive. The library ranks with Maine's cost aspired works of the early 20th century, and was the croon jr..el of the re -building. The range of architectural talent employed in the caned ares wide and surprising. Loral architects, rarely Wilfred Mansur, C. Parker CYo ell, Victor Hodgins, and Frederick Patterson, remived wort of the m nussions, with the first three being particularly active. 'ihe Graham Building, Eastern Trust Building, and Mrse Building are perhaps their nester - pieces respectively. Close to a o en buildings, hoe:ver, were designed by prestigous Fast Coast fins, acre with no history of practice in Maine. Peabody and Stearns of Boston, that city's leading designers, planned the progressive Exchange Building in addition to their work for the city. The Bargor Savings Bank was designed by retrace S Hastings of New York, rivaled in stature at tlffi time only, by McKim, Head, and White. Other large Eirus who shared their talents included Sardine, Rent, 6 Hill (Murdock) of Flaw York, and Parker, Thetas and Rice a Basten. New York designer Louis Tiffany supplied a number of artistic finishings, although only one of his works survives: the splendid stained glass wiMaa in the First Baptist Murch (1912 and outside of the district). Rationally known architatswe also recruited for church designs in the residential burned areas (also outside of the present district), namely Cram and Furgueon (All Soul's Congregational Murch, 1912) and Hobart Upjdm (St. Johns episcopal Coach, 1912). Significantly, not even in the face of 300 razed buildings did a Portland architect atteapt to practice in Bangor. Stylistically the Renaissance Revival predaninatee in the district as a unifying there. The Bangor Savings Berst is perhaps its purest expression in Maine. horetheiess the area shwas a kaleidoscope of other influences, fascineting in their conge oranity. Praire Style decorating occurs on Parker, Thous and Rice's stetson Building as well as the Bangor Hydro Sub -Station already nentioned. Bangor architect Wilfred Mansur, persists in using arched Rarenesque windows on otherwise Renaissance facades. Colonial winder cornices appear on the block of the Rirstein Agency, prominent developers of Bangor's two United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form (01 T = OF 1911 HISICRIC OISTRIC number 4 "streetcar suburtm", who probably wanted to give their building a dnrestic feeling. Victor Hodgins seated, in the Frey, Dugan, Staples Block, a bcM stat9R11t with Abita terra cotta argil Chicago- style wirrIews that may have been the first in the state to eso all historical associations and ornment, Most polgnent, h».aver, is the use all architects made of brick. !Phedistrictis aglow with every oanceivale sbace of the arterial, fron 1lxnmstdn cod, to Flanish Black, to wheat, honey, beige, aryl dark brawn colorings. kklitimelly, bricks are laid in every conceivable direction and pattern, with tkdgin's Morse Building being outstaMing for its range - round circles to diagonals to herrimlocce, etc. Also enclosed by the district are to buildings which survived the fire and three (excluding the intrusions) built after Nbrld War I. sere of these are important in their right. The Nichols Block (Wilfred Mansur, architect, 1892) is ane of aahgor's earliest and best Bruanesque Revival works. The Tarratim Club (Parker, lhmms, std Rice of Boston, architects, 1907) is an ornate and very wall -preserved early 20th century eea's clubhouse. The Telephone t charge (1930) is Maine's finest (and virtually singular) exasgle of the fullyd lofed Art reco style. Tyro other small buildings were wrmtructed slwrtly after the war to replace original structures which had barnei, yet closely eon in omracter the district's post -fire buildings.