Friday's Finds: 1063 Washington Avenue

Traveling Washington Avenue, there are so many intriguing properties! From the slate clad Victorian stunner on the corner of Morse Street to the out of this world porch and fully structural bay front of the house across from the call center, it is hard to narrow down the most interesting. However, when you see the small stone house at 1063 Washington Avenue, it makes sense why one would be curious about its story!

Set in the “Washington Terrace” land development designed in 1916, the property was owned by Augustus Bove, a prominent Naples Maine businessman and former legislator. Over the next several years, Bove remained connected to the site, despite the announcement of a Sheriff’s auction to be held in 1926 after a court case lost to the Economy Gas and Electrical Company and several years of reported unpaid taxes for the site in 1929-31. By 1943 the property was owned by A.H Chapman Land Co, who ran their business out of the first floor of the Mechanics’ Hall on Congress Street.

By 1949 the land was owned by Donato (Daniel) Donatelli and his wife Maria. Donato was a well-known contractor in Portland who before starting his own company worked as a brick and stone mason. Given we know he pulled the permit for 1061 Washington Avenue (a brick ranch) next door, these two houses show exactly where Donatelli’s craftsmanship lies.

1063 Washington was ready for occupancy by August of 1951 and dubbed in the newspaper, a “European Style Dream Home”. By 1952, the house gained its first occupants in successful lawyer Bennett Fuller and his wife Eleanor, who moved from the peninsula to the suburbs of Portland. While living in the fieldstone-clad house, Bennett was highly involved with the politics of the time and is often noted as running for office. He did serve as Assistant County Attorney for Cumberland County for a year as well as Associate Judge of the South Portland Municipal Court. Bennet and Eleanor sold the house after just 10 years to Mrs. Mary Mundrell (AKA Mandarelli). Mundrell, a widow of 8 years, had three sons and four daughters but in 1962 only Samuel is listed as living with her at the 1063 address. Under the Mandarelli name, Samuel is listed as the sole occupant in street directories by 1972, however we know that he was married to Earlyne (until divorce in 1977) and has two children, Sammy and Rhonda.

By 1982, the house was sold again to Jerome B. and Kathie Watts. Jerome worked at the Portland Water Department (one of the staff’s other favorite structures in Portland) as a surveyor.

Victoria Mansion’s Front Brownstone Bay Restoration

Complete West Bay, Victoria Mansion

Victoria Mansion is thrilled to announce that the restoration of Victoria Mansion’s brownstone front bay window, a project ten years in planning, is now complete

This transformational project, a centerpiece of the Forward Facing Campaign, brings the National Historic Landmark property closer to its 19th-century appearance, turning back the clock 160 years to restore important passages of carving and detailing lost to Maine’s harsh weather. A new series of rooftop balustrades are also now in place, making the Mansion’s front façade complete for the first time since the 1950s.

Victoria Mansion was built between 1858 and 1860 using Portland, Connecticut brownstone, an attractive and easily-carved sandstone that was shipped up and down the eastern seaboard during the nineteenth century.  While brownstone buildings were common in New York City and beyond, Victoria Mansion stands out as an unusually elegant example, with sculptural details created by skilled carvers working on Portland’s Central Wharf.

West Bay Capital Prior To Restoration

But time has taken a toll on this work of art.  More than 160 years of exposure to Maine’s harsh climate have caused the stone to flake and fail in many places.  In some areas, richly carved details have eroded away.  Nowhere is this more evident than on the front bay window, the building’s most prominent feature.

While Portland brownstone is no longer quarried, Victoria Mansion was fortunate to locate a significant supply of the stone in 2018.  This project took advantage of this rare opportunity to restore the bay back to its nineteenth-century appearance.

Sylvain Demonstrating Carving Technique of the Brownstone

Among the most skilled preservationists in the country, our partners included consulting conservator Ivan Myjer of Building and Monument Conservation (Arlington, MA), structural engineers Structures North (Salem, MA), masonry contractors Stone & Lime (North Brookfield, MA), and stone fabricators and carvers Granite Importers (Barre, VT).

According to Timothy Brosnihan, Victoria Mansion’s Executive Director, “This project has been so long in germinating because it is so complex and fraught, with elaborate interior decorative finishes sitting mere inches away from thousand-pound stones requiring surgical removal and replacement.” Brosnihan continued, “Not since the tower project in 2002 have we undertaken such a high stakes restoration.”

Victoria Mansion gratefully acknowledges the support of the following funding partners:

• The 1772 Foundation, Inc. in cooperation with Maine Preservation

• The Belvedere Historic Preservation Fund

• The Cascade Foundation

• Mrs. Charlotte F. Brown

• The Davis Family Foundation

• The Louella and Nicholas Martin Charitable Trust

• The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust

• The Sheldon Family

• The Robert J. Trulaske, Jr. Family Foundation

• The Elsie & William Viles Foundation

• The Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation

From Soggy Start to Sunny Finish: Observatory's Season Shines

The Portland Observatory wrapped up another vibrant season on October 13th, welcoming 15,386 visitors from May 24th through the fall. Despite declining tourism numbers across the state, the Observatory held steady with strong attendance throughout the season.

We got off to a soggy start with rainy weekends, but Mother Nature made amends with gorgeously warm September and October weather that brought waves of cruise ship visitors eager to climb Portland's iconic maritime signal tower.

Flag Day proved to be the season's showstopper, drawing more than 300 visitors—especially families and locals—in a joyful community celebration. Another highlight came after the regular season on October 18th with the "Cobblestone Connections" puzzle-walk, part of the collaborative "America from the Ashes" project with 6 other cultural institutions. The event commemorated the 250th anniversary of Captain Mowatt's burning of Falmouth (now Portland), and visitors who completed the hunt earned free admission to climb to the top for sweeping city views.

New volunteer Phoebe with her first tour group!

Behind the scenes, a team of six part-time site managers—two more than last year—and 45 active volunteer docents logged an impressive 1,144.5 hours of tours. The Observatory family grew this year, welcoming five new docents who graduated from the Portland History Docents (PHD) program.

Throughout the season, 12 private tours brought 264 visitors through the tower, including school classes and adult groups. The Observatory remains a favorite with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, offering engaging city history, friendly docents, and stunning panoramic views.

This year also saw the Observatory return to its roots, using flags to communicate with the city just as Captain Moody intended. While Moody signaled incoming ships—vital information to 19th-century Portlanders—we've flown flags to mark what matters to us today. The Hearts of Pine and Sea Dogs flags announced home games, while other flags celebrated community milestones: a Pride flag made by local company Original Maine, the Juneteenth flag, and Italian and Irish heritage flags, among others. We're excited to expand this program even further in 2026.

Thanks to a dedicated volunteer, Brian Kazor, who transcribed Captain Moody's thermometrical logbooks, visitors could compare each day's weather with conditions from exactly 200 years ago in 1825—a fascinating window into Portland's climate history.

Did You Know: Multi-faceted Mariner’s Church

On October 28, 2025, the venerable Mariner’s Church building at 368–374 Fore Street in Portland will host Greater Portland Landmarks’ 60th Birthday Bash and Preservation Awards, bringing together friends and supporters in a fitting celebration within one of the city’s most treasured historic spaces.

Mariner’s Church stands today as a vivid reminder of Portland’s maritime, architectural, civic, and African American heritage. Constructed in 1828 at a cost of $33,000 (plus another $18,000 to acquire the site), it was once the largest building in Portland and is regarded as the city’s earliest expression of Greek Revival architecture, while still retaining traces of Federal design in its detailing. Its design drew inspiration from Boston’s Faneuil Hall (1742) and Salem’s East India Hall (1825). Distinctive rounded corners—brick on the left, granite on the right—add elegance, while the interior still echoes the original layout.

Courtesy of Maine Historical Society, MMN #54020, 1924 Tax Record 366-376 Fore Street

From its earliest days the church served a multi faceted mission, providing religious, educational, and social services for Portland’s seafaring community. The third floor functioned as a chapel, the second as a meeting and lecture space, and the ground floor as revenue producing shops and offices. The basement contains part of the original seawall, remaining from before Commercial Street was laid out in 1858. In the mid 19th century the basement housed Daniel Colesworthy’s antislavery bookstore and printshop, where he published Light and Truth from Ancient and Sacred History by Robert Benjamin Lewis—often regarded as the first Afrocentric history published in the United States. Lewis, a Mainer of African and Native American descent, led a life of maritime adventure and literary ambition.

Mariner’s Church survived Portland’s devastating fire of 1866, one of the few large commercial structures to do so. Over the decades it became host to numerous community institutions: Portland’s first marine museum, meetings of seamen’s groups and unions, and early social programs including the founding of the Portland Boys Club. After falling into disrepair, it was purchased in the late 1960s and following a 1969 survey by Greater Portland Landmarks, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 in recognition of its architectural, social, religious, humanitarian, and theatrical significance. The lower level housed the Old Port Tavern from 1973 until 2022, while upper floors hosted billiards and event functions. The building is an important stop on Portland’s Freedom Trail, and today the upper levels serve as an event venue, preserving the building’s historic role as a gathering space.

Did You Know? Bayside’s Unpretentious Beginnings

Did you know that Bayside earned its name quite literally? As late as 1823, much of the area that is now Bayside was part of Back Cove, then a larger bay, with Cumberland Street the only east-west thoroughfare between Congress Street and the cove. Streets like Preble, Elm, and Chestnut dead-ended at the water, which nearly reached Cumberland Street in places and was deep enough to accommodate large vessels at one point.

Railway buildings from the 1876 Bird’s Eye View Portland Maine Map

By 1826, infilling began in earnest to accommodate the Kennebec and Portland Railroad’s depot, and Oxford Street emerged atop this newly created land. The 1840s brought more land from gradual infill to increase the size of the railroad yards, though it wasn’t yet a through station. The 1850s saw the creation of what we now know as Lancaster Street (originally called Lincoln Street) positioned in front of the depot, and Kennebec Street behind it, closer to the cove. This phased expansion of the peninsula coincided with increasing railroad traffic, both passenger and freight.

By the 1870s, maps show North Bayside’s first residential buildings around the railway depot, on the block between Elm and Chestnut. Since the railroad remained the main business nearby, these were likely inhabited by railway workers and managers. In the decades that followed, the neighborhood saw a variety of dwellings homes crop up in this area like duplexes, single family homes, and tenements. Along with housing, industry in the area grew, including a lumber mill and a pickle factory.

By the 1950s, Portland’s urban transformation began reshaping Bayside, and the neighborhood was split by the creation of Franklin Street. Heavy industry, like the lumber mill, faded out and in its place rose lighter manufacturing activity. Many homes were cleared to make room for businesses like Cushman’s bakery complex and related structures (between Cedar and Elm) and H.J. Heinz Wholesale Food Company (on the Chestnut-to-Cedar block).

Today, it’s likely that some of the early industrial structures still stand at the core of the current buildings, and that 20th century siding conceals 19th century building fabric. You can still discern the past in the rear façade of the back of 165-175 Lancaster Street (the Cushman and Heinz buildings), which still has loading docks and bump-outs, relics of manufacturing processes that outlasted more homogenized fronts. Even though the railway depot is long gone, tracks still poke through the asphalt on Kennebec Street. Through its entire history, Bayside has been continuously reinvented, yet it has always remained rooted in its unpretentious, working-class character.

The Note: Revitalizing Portland’s First Skyscraper

Courtesy Maine Historical Society, MMN #28855

At the turn of the 20th century, Portland was experiencing a wave of change, especially along its main thoroughfare, Congress Street. The statue that gives Monument Square its name was dedicated in 1891, and our current City Hall began construction in 1909, replacing the former City Hall. Steamships and trains brought people to Portland from faraway places, and new trolley lines kept the city on the move as it expanded. The building that embodied this new era most was the Fidelity Trust Building at 465 Congress Street. At ten stories, the Fidelity Building was Portland's first skyscraper. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Boston architect George Henri Desmond and opened in 1910 to great fanfare. Soon after, the Eastland Hotel, the Time and Temperature Building, and the State Theatre all popped up in the business district, adding to its early-20th century dynamism.

A soaring 30-foot-tall marble lobby with Corinthian columns and classical details is one of the city’s most impressive interiors. Modern conveniences include elevators made by the Portland Company and there was an impressive light well through the floors to bring light and air to interior spaces. Upper floors that held office spaces have been altered and the building is currently vacant. 

Thankfully, Jim Brady of the Fathom Companies is moving forward with an ambitious revitalization. Jim recently took GPL staff through the structure and shared his vision for a vibrant new hotel in this historic building. The bank lobby will become a monumental hotel lobby, transforming the marble teller counter into a large bar, adding a restaurant with a variety of seating options, and creating quiet spaces for remote work in the mezzanine. Jim enthusiastically pointed out all of the historic materials that will be restored and celebrated in the new spaces, with the same dedication to detail as The Press Hotel, another one of his projects. Most rooms will have a spectacular view, some with a birds-eye view of Monument Square, others overlooking the waterfront or horizon vistas to Mount Washington. The lower level, including the original bank vault, will be integrated into a new wellness center. 

Developer Jim Brady highlights special features of the structure while standing in front of an historic photo.

Jim was candid about the challenges of pulling together a project of this magnitude. His team is able to utilize both state and federal historic tax credits, which is what makes the numbers work for this project. Without the tax credits, Jim says, the project wouldn't even be close to viable and buildings like this would be sitting empty for a long time. Historic tax credit bills recently passed in Augusta have allowed Jim to complete the whole project at once instead of in phases, which would have added significant costs. Maintaining and expanding historic tax credits takes devoted advocacy, so everyone who wrote to their elected officials, testified, or who supports GPL or Maine Preservation in our efforts will soon see the results in this stunning adaptive reuse project.

The rehabilitation of historic buildings takes a lot of patience and passion. Jim says that he loves doing projects like this, and that telling their stories is really fun. He likes to bring back to life something special for visitors, and bring back neighborhoods for Portland residents. This project will be truly transformational for Congress Street and we hope that it inspires other developers to see value in older and historic buildings. Portland is facing a number of challenges - housing access and affordability, climate change and flooding, traffic and walkability - and we feel that reusing our existing building stock is part of the solution to these challenges. This project will reopen a historic space, invite visitors back up to Congress Street to explore the historic district, and reenergize Monument Square. This project is a very welcome change.