View source for Farmington Historic District (Farmington, Maine)

{{short description|Historic district in Maine, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Farmington Historic District
| nrhp_type = hd    | nocat = yes
| image = Downtown Farmington 7.JPG
| caption =
| location= Roughly bounded by High, Academy, Anson and Grove Sts., [[Farmington, Maine]]
| locmapin = Maine#USA
| built = {{Start date|1875}}
| architect = [[George M. Coombs]]; [[Edwin E. Lewis]]
| architecture = Romanesque, Queen Anne, Italianate
| added = January 20, 1995
| area = {{convert|85|acre}}
| refnum = 94001551<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| decrease = April 27, 2010
}}
The '''Farmington Historic District''' encompasses much of the main central business district of [[Farmington, Maine]].  Farmington was settled in the 1770s, and experienced its most rapid growth after being named the shire town ([[county seat]]) of [[Franklin County, Maine|Franklin County]] in 1838, with a secondary spurt of redevelopment after a major fire in the 1880s.  Its central business district encompasses many of the town's historic resources, and its most significant commercial and civic architecture.  The district, which includes more than 130 resource over {{convert|85|acre|ha}}, was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1995.<ref name="nris"/>
==Description and history==
The Farmington Historic District is primarily laid out along a stretch of Main Street, extending roughly between Belcher Road in the north and the junction of Main and Prescott Streets in the south.  It also includes High Street between Middle and Anson Streets, and extends eastward along Broadway, Court and Orchards Streets.  This area includes substantially all of the historic elements of the town's central business district, while excluding most of the campus of the [[University of Maine at Farmington]], which lies just to the south on High and Main.<ref name=NRHP>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=94001551}}|title=NRHP nomination for Farmington Historic District|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2014-12-21}}</ref>
The center of the central business district is at the junction of Main Street and Broadway.  Blocks to the north, south, and east are lined with brick commercial buildings.  The [[Franklin County Courthouse (Maine)|Franklin County Courthouse]] lies one block north of this intersection, between Church and Anson Streets, and is one of several buildings designed by noted Maine architect George Coombs.  The areas north and east of these blocks give way to more residential structures, with a few churches on High Street and near the southern end of the district on Main Street.  Notable civic buildings in the district, besides the county courts, include town hall and the [[Cutler Memorial Library]], a Beaux Arts structure built in early 20th century.<ref name=NRHP/>
[[Greenacre (Farmington, Maine)|Greenacre]], which stands high above Court Street, is probably the town's finest Italianate mansion.<ref name=NRHP/>  "[[Jacob Abbott House|Fewacres]]", the home of noted juvenile fiction writer [[Jacob Abbott]], was originally part of the district, but was demolished c. 2010.  Churches of interest include the [[First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ]], and the former Free Will Baptist Church, which is now a [[garage at 219 Main Street]].<ref name="nris"/>
==See also==
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Franklin County, Maine]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
[[Category:Italianate architecture in Maine]]
[[Category:Queen Anne architecture in Maine]]
[[Category:Romanesque Revival architecture in Maine]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1875]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Franklin County, Maine]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Maine]]