68 High Street

Children's Hospital
Location 68 High St.
Portland, Maine
Coordinates 43°39′8″N 70°15′38″W / 43.65222°N 70.26056°W / 43.65222; -70.26056Coordinates: 43°39′8″N 70°15′38″W / 43.65222°N 70.26056°W / 43.65222; -70.26056
Built 1909 (1909)
Architect Frederick A. Tompson
Architectural style Colonial Revival
NRHP Reference # 12000065[1]
Added to NRHP March 7, 2012

68 High Street, formerly the Children's Hospital,[2] is a historic colonial revival building in Portland, Maine. Located on the eastern edge of Portland's West End, the building was built in 1909 and was designed by architect Frederick A. Tompson. According to news archives, Drs. Edville Gerhardt Abbott and Harold A. Pingree and Frank W. Lamb founded this worldwide famous children's hospital for crippled children with scoliosis together in 1908.[3] It closed in 1948, with most of the 56 patients at the time being transferred to Maine General Hospital, which was later renamed the Maine Medical Center.[4] It also served as an annex to the Mussey Mansion until the left part of that building was demolished in 1961.[5] It had also been owned and used by the University of Southern Maine as administrative offices. In 2010, Community Housing of Maine sought to develop the property and the adjacent empty lot into 35 units of affordable housing.[5] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places March 7, 2012.[1]

Elm Terrace

In 2011, the Maine State Housing Authority approved the building and the adjacent empty lot, 68 High Street, for 38 low income housing units. The building is set to be renovated to fulfill the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, including the addition of elevators. The first floor of 66 High Street will include parking units. The plan to redevelop the property became controversial after state treasurer Bruce Poliquin criticized the housing authority for their per-unit cost.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 3/5/2012 through 3/9/2012". National Park Service. March 16, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ Criterion A: Health/Medicine, Social History Criterion B: Dr. Edville Gerhardt Abbott (1871-1938) Criterion C: Architecture Statewide Significance
  3. ↑ CRIPPLES MADE STRAIGHT BY MARVELOUS SURGERY; Medical Men From Far and Wide Flock to Portland, Maine to Witness the Wonderful Work of Dr. E.G. Abbott in Curing Fixed Lateral Curvature of the Spine Which Heretofore Has Baffled Surgical Skill. MAKING CRIPPLES STRAIGHT
  4. ↑ 'Harold' error sets a rumor mill in action
  5. 1 2 Affordable housing proposed for High Street building The Forecaster, November 16, 2010
  6. ↑ Miller, Kevin (December 11, 2011). "Controversial Elm Terrace development gets OK at $265K per uni". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 13, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.