View source for Fifth Maine Regiment Community Center

{{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Fifth Maine Regiment Community Center
| nrhp_type    =
| image        = 5th Maine Regiment Museum.jpg
| caption      =
| location     = 45 Seashore Avenue, [[Peaks Island, Maine|Peaks Island]], [[Portland, Maine]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|43|39|10|N|70|11|36|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = Maine#USA
| built        = 1888
| architect    =
| architecture = Queen Anne
| added        = January 5, 1978
| area         = {{convert|1|acre}}
| refnum       = 78000169<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}
The '''Fifth Maine Regiment Community Center''' is a historic building at 45 Seashore Avenue on [[Peaks Island, Maine|Peaks Island]], an island neighborhood of [[Portland, Maine]] in [[Casco Bay]]. It was built in 1888 by [[American Civil War]] veterans "as a memorial to their deceased comrades and as a reunion hall for themselves."<ref name="fifthmainemuseum.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.fifthmainemuseum.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=69|title=The Regimental Hall|accessdate=23 March 2013}}</ref> It was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978 and designated a Greater Portland Landmark in 1984. Today it is open as a museum.<ref name="fifthmainemuseum.org"/>
==Description and history==
Peaks Island, the most populous island in Casco Bay, is east of the main Portland peninsula. The Fifth Maine Regiment Community Center is on the south side of the island, facing the channel separating it from [[Cushing Island, Maine|Cushing Island]].
The center is a two-story wood frame structure, 2-1/2 stories in height, with a dormered gable roof and a three-story circular observation tower at one corner. The roof extends down to shelter a porch that encircles the building. The exterior walls are finished in wooden clapboards, with bands of decoratively cut wooden shingles. The structure is built directly on a ledge that slopes down to the shore, where there is a rocky beach.<ref name=NRHP>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=78000169}}|title=NRHP nomination for Fifth Maine Regiment Community Center|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2015-12-06}}</ref>
The community center was built in 1888 and is a notable example of a memorial and clubhouse built in the Queen Anne style. It was built on donated land by a fraternal association of veterans of the [[5th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment]], which sought to memorialize its fallen comrades and to provide a space for regular reunions.
The building continues to be held by that organization. It is open as a museum of local and Civil War history and events; it also functions as an event space.<ref name=NRHP/><ref>[http://www.fifthmainemuseum.org/index.php/2014-02-22-20-28-25 Facility Rentals], Fifth Maine Museum</ref>
==See also==
*[[Eighth Maine Regiment Memorial]], a similar facility also on Peaks Island
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.fifthmainemuseum.org/ Fifth Maine Regiment Museum] - official site
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
[[Category:Museums in Portland, Maine]]
[[Category:Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine]]
[[Category:Queen Anne architecture in Maine]]
[[Category:American Civil War museums in Maine]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1888]]
[[Category:Peaks Island, Maine]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine]]
[[Category:1888 establishments in Maine]]
[[Category:Clubhouses in Portland, Maine]]