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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Best of Bangor

Incorporated in 1791, Bangor is named for an Irish hymn “Bangor.”

The Great Fire of 1911destroyed most of the downtown and changed  the face of the city, but Bangor rebuilt and prospered. Most of the present downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the “Great Fire Historic District',” while the portion that survived the fire is the 'West Market Square Historic District'. The Unitarian Church shown below was destroyed and later rebuilt on the same site.

unitarian church

The current library building, designed by the Boston architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns, opened its doors in 1913. The library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Great Fire of 1911 Historic District.

public library frontpublic library (4) public library (2) public library (1) City Hall was the former post office. Walking in the front door you are greeted with a 3-part mural “Autumn Expansion” (1980) by noted artist Yvonne Jacquette known for her depictions of aerial landscapes, especially low-altitude aerial views of cities.

city hall (1) city hall art (1) city hall art (2) city hall art (3) There are three large bronze statues in downtown Bangor by Brewer, Maine sculptor Charles Eugene Tefft, shown below these are the Luther H. Peirce Memorial, commemorating the Penobscot River Log-Drivers, a statue of Hannibal Hamlin (Lincoln’s first vice president and Maine native) and an image of "Lady Victory" at Norumbega Parkway.

peirce memorial Hannibel Hamlin winged victory Downtown Bangor began to recover in the 1990s, however, with bookstores, cafe/restaurants, galleries, and museums filling once vacant storefronts. The recent re-development of the city's waterfront has also helped re-focus cultural life in the historic center

buildings bangor (7) DSCN2379

DSCN2378

street views DSCN2402 street views (5)

fire box DSCN2402 Built in 1873, the Phenix Building was originally a combination of offices and retail space. It’s now the small Charles Hotel.

phenix block (2)

phenix block (1)  phenix block steeples (1) DSCN2381 And, there was some (more) rain in Maine.

rain bangorBut, luckily the rainstorm hit AFTER we completed our downtown walking tour or Bangor.

8 comments:

Sara said...

Even with the rain the colors in your photos are spectacular. And sometimes the rain makes it nicer because it makes the bark on the trees so dark--good contrast. Your adventures look so interesting.And sometimes on a rainy day you have fewer people--no crowds--which makes it more enjoyble. Poured here today. Hope you continue to find interesting spots.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Sara, thanks for the comments. Yes, rainy days can be great photo times, except when it's pouring and you can't take any shots :-( Glad you are enjoying our adventures, please stop back as we will be continuing to post daily. Didn't rain today (expected overnight and Friday) but lots of fog and overcast weather. Photos and commentary to follow.

Montanagirl said...

Your photos are terrific. It was so nice to go on the walk with you! The rain didn't hurt the outcome at all.

Elaine said...

Maine is on our list for next fall, so it's good to see your adventures. I love the architectural details on the buildings. I've really been enjoying that throughout PA and NY since most of the buildings in AK were built during the gold rush or later, and most of the early ones were very primitive and haven't survived.

I've had the problem with iffy wifi connections while we're traveling too. Every motel says they have wifi, but I haven't always been able to make it actually work, and tomorrow is always another place.

HermitJim said...

I always enjoy being given the chance to share someone else's vacation!

Saves me a lot on gas...

The pictures are great, especially since I've never been to Maine! Thank you!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Glad to help HermitJim, but can you please send a little something for gas and tolls? Seriously though, glad you are enjoying the road trip with us. And, this is our first trip down east as well!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Elaine, you will really enjoy Maine in the fall next year, so glad we're providing a preview for youo and Marty. We switched accomodations earlier this week and the wi fi connection now is geat and we hardly ever drop off - compared to dropping off or not getting on in the other place, which is just across the parking lot - go figure! And, you are so right that tommorrow is another place!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Mona the rain is nice, as long as it's not raining too hard cause then I worry more about the camera than myself :-)