Building Bangor

Connecting To History Through Iconic Architecture

BY STEPHANIE BOUCHARD

The historic Trinity Church in New York City is an architectural icon. The Gothic Revival structure was built by architect Richard Upjohn from 1839 to 1846. What many locals may not realize, however, is that before Trinity Church, Upjohn designed another church right here in Bangor. Every day, people walking, biking, and driving through the streets of Bangor are passing by buildings that have stories — and amazing ones at that. The Bangor Historical Society has been sharing those stories since 2014 through a “Did You Know” series on its Facebook page, where they post photos and tidbits about area homes, buildings, and people significant to Bangor history. The old photos never fail to generate interest, according to Matt Bishop, curator and operations manager of the historical society.

Bangor Public Library

DID YOU KNOW: On Jan. 17, 1912 the cornerstone was laid for the “new” Bangor Public Library on Harlow Street.

The previous building had been located on State Street where Bangor Savings Bank is today, but was lost in the Great Fire of 1911. According to the Bangor Public Library, after the fire, a Boston architectural firm drew up plans for an educational center in Bangor, including a new high school building and public library. The “old” Bangor High School on Harlow Street is now apartments.

DID YOU KNOW THESE FACTS & PHOTOS ARE COURTESY OF THE BANGOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY?

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BANGOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY ON PAGE 13, AND FIND MORE “DID YOU KNOW” HISTORICAL FUN FACTS ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE

St. John’s Episcopal Church

DID YOU KNOW: The beautiful St. John’s Episcopal Church on French Street in Bangor that stands today was designed by the grandson of its original architect. In the 1830s, Richard Upjohn designed the original wood structure (right photo) that burned in the Great Fire of 1911. When the congregation rebuilt they hired Hobart Upjohn, Richard’s grandson, to design the new, stone structure (left photo) that stands today.

“People just love looking at old photos,” Bishop said.

People often share their own memories of places on the Bangor Historical Society’s Facebook page, such as a child’s thrill riding the escalator at Freese’s Department Store on Main Street in Bangor. And sometimes learn something they didn’t know about the house where they currently live or a building they pass by every day on their way to work, like St. John’s Episcopal Church on French Street.

People often share their own memories... such as a child’s thrill riding the escalator at Freese’s Department Store on Main Street in Bangor.

St. John’s Episcopal Church is a stone replica of a wood structure designed by none other than Richard Upjohn, the architect of New York City’s famous Trinity Church. Upjohn’s church was built in the mid-1830s, just before he began working on Trinity Church. His wood version of St. John’s was destroyed in Bangor’s 1911 fire. His grandson, Hobart Upjohn, built the stone replica from 1912 to 1918 that stands today.

Isaac Farrar Mansion

DID YOU KNOW: The Isaac Farrar Mansion on Union Street was built from 1843-1845 by lumberman Isaac Farrar as a present to his wife. It was designed by Richard Upjohn. The mahogany inside the Isaac Farrar Mansion was imported from Santo Domingo and the slate from Bangor, Wales.

Later, Charles B. Sanford, son of Capt. Menemon Sanford, married his second wife, Marie French, in Bangor in 1860, and they moved into the Farrar Mansion. By 1873, he was proprietor of the Independent Line of Steamers.

Marie died in 1874 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Charles died in Searsport in 1896; he is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery.