Lewiston Architecture Tour Preview

The Continental Mill is a cotton textile mill in Lewiston where many Franco-Americans worked after immigrating to Maine. In 1858, a smaller mill called the Porter Mill stood in the same place, but was bought in 1866 by the Continental Company which quickly expanded it. By 1895, the mill employed about 1,200 people who were largely French Canadian and made up the “Little Canada” neighborhood in the surrounding Lewiston area. The mill was designed in French Imperial, also known as Second Empire style, since its architecture comes from the era of Napoleon III’s second empire, and an Italian Renaissance architecture style. The French Imperial style can be seen in the mansard roof with its sharp pitch on all sides and dormers along the whole length. The towers also have French tops, each slightly different from the other. The Italian characteristics are in the high arches of the octagonal tower and the arched windows in the square tower. Today, the Continental Mill no longer functions as a textile mill and there are plans to turn portions of it into housing units.

The construction of St. Mary’s church was approved in 1907, but it wasn’t completed until twenty years later in 1927. Like the Basilica, it is made of granite from Maine. When architects were designing the building, they wanted it to be meaningful for the Franco-American community because many emigrated from Normandy to Canada and then down to Lewiston. They constructed the building in a Gothic style with Norman Gothic features. Norman Gothic features include the apse, the section with the altar, because it is square rather than a traditional circular shape. The spire, called the “lantern” located over the “crossing” where north-south and east-west arms of the church meet, is Norman Gothic style because the size of the church is smaller than the traditional Gothic French churches. Directly across the street stands the Continental Mill where many Franco-American families worked. Together, these buildings symbolize work and worship in Franco-American life in Maine. St. Mary’s Church closed in 2000, but is now the Franco-American Heritage Center which is a performing arts center.

The Dominican Building was once the center of Franco-American life in Lewiston. Dominican nuns originally planned for the building to be a school that would teach English and French. They hired George M. Coombs to design the building. He was one of Lewiston’s best architects and founded the architectural firm, Alonzo J. Harriman Associates which still operates in Auburn. The building was constructed with brick and granite in Queen Anne’s architecture style which was highly popular from the 1870’s to 1900. These characteristics can be found in the building’s high, stepped gable front and the turrets, pilasters, indents, and classical pediments atop arches. It finally opened its doors in 1883 to 650 students. In addition to a school, it also served as a place of worship which helped relieve some of the overcrowding that was happening at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. It also became a social center for Franco-Americans where they could enjoy plays and operas. Eventually, the Dominican nuns sold the building and its religious symbols were removed. Today, the Dominican Building is privately owned with plans to turn the first floor into retail space with affordable housing units above.

The Grand Trunk Station was built in 1873 in a “stick-style” architecture which was popular in the late 1800’s. It is associated with the Carpenter Gothic style. Its characteristics include the high-peaked roof and lattice work under the long, overhanging eaves. Its windows are also fitted with granite and surmounted with low brick arches. “The Depot'' is significant to the Franco-American community in Maine because it was the entry point for many French-Canadian immigrants arriving in the state. Originally, lines ran from Montréal to Portland, but Lewiston and Auburn built their own railroad to intersect the Grand Trunk at Lewiston Junction. In 1874, they leased the entire operation to Grand Trunk for 99 years. After French-Canadian immigrants began arriving in Lewiston, its population and industrial economy boomed, making it one of the biggest cities in Maine. It’s possible that without the Grand Trunk Station, Lewiston may not have been the bustling industrial city it came to be. Eventually, The Depot closed its doors on May 2nd, 1971. Soon after in June 1979, the Maine Historical Preservation Commission successfully entered the building in the National Register of Historic Places. The building has been many things since being a railway, including a cultural center, and a museum, but now, the short rectangular brick building is a restaurant that serves the Lewiston Auburn area.

The Wiseman bridge on Chestnut Street is a rainbow arch structure. This structure is rare across the country. This bridge is one of two remaining rainbow arch bridges in Maine. The bridge was completed in 1927 and is only 74.2 feet long and 24 feet wide. It is a concrete structure with overhead bracing which helps with stability, but also makes it aesthetically pleasing for those crossing it. Rainbow arch bridges make their arches visible to those crossing it as well as those looking from the outside. What is most significant about this bridge is that its arches are composed of both steel and reinforced concrete. The use of both elements in its arches is a rare example of this type of design which makes it a preservation priority. The bridge was dedicated to mayor Dr. Robert J. Wiseman, who was the first mayor of Canadian heritage of Lewiston. In a festival dedicating the bridge in 1928, Wiseman acknowledged the honor with a speech in which he mentioned that his family had come to Lewiston 55 years earlier and that, “there has been a Wiseman on Chestnut Street ever since,” acknowledging the impact of Canadian-American immigration on the city of Lewiston. The Wiseman bridge is not only an architecturally unique structure in Lewiston, but also historically significant to Franco-American history in Maine.

The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is the oldest church in the Greater Portland area for French speaking Catholics. The church is modeled in a traditional European Gothic architecture style and resembles the Notre Dame in Paris. It’s also the second largest church in New England. Dominican monks emigrated from France in 1881 to administer the project. At the time, French-speaking residents of Lewiston helped raise funds for churches and schools. Plans for it began in 1889, but work did not begin until 1904 when Belgian architect Noel Coumont began managing the project. He was dismissed shortly after construction began because he started building the foundation of the building backwards. Throughout the years, funding issues also stalled construction, but in 1928, Boston architect, T.G. O’Connell drew up new plans and continued construction. The outside of the building was completed in 1934, while the inside wasn’t completed until 1938. The basilica is made of granite extracted from the nearby town of Jay, and limestone makes up the portals and towers and the spires in the towers are pure limestone. Today, the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul conducts mass in French each quarter.