Central Maine’s Architectural History
(Up to 1900)
Instructor: Dan Mitchell
Thursdays • 6 classes • 9/19-10/24 • 5:30-7:30 PM
Class size 5-24 students
15 seats remaining
Location: Zoom only
Learn about 200 years of Maine architecture, and maybe learn something about YOUR house (and the buildings of your town or city).  Also, learn how to be an advocate for historic preservation. The core of this class will be eight weeks of Zoom slide presentations. There will be slide images of MANY local examples (over 500), some artifacts (including vintage architectural prints, periodicals, stereoviews, tools and books) as well as general discussions of methods of construction, technology changes, style changes and the ideas behind them. This class hopes to make connections between the everyday structures around us and the larger architectural themes that helped shape them. Students are greatly encouraged to enhance the class with experiences from their own homes and student photos can be integrated into the slide presentations. Also, we’ll cover topics of restoration and historic preservation, as well as how to solve common old house problems. There will also be a site visit to Vaughan Homestead in Hallowell for an “insider” tour. Hopefully there’ll be something for everyone.
at 16 East Chestnut Street in Augusta, Maine.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
First Period and Settlement Era construction through the 18th century and the influence of Palladianism.
The Federal Period
The Greek Revival and the relevance of Classic architecture
The impact of the Industrial Revolution on building and design.
The Late 19th Century, The Shingle Style, and the beginnings of an American identity. Also, the impact of architectural periodicals (The American Architect and Building News, in particular) on the evolution of design, and the itinerant delineators who developed those ideas (Harvey Ellis, Henry Kirby)
The Beginnings of Modernity. The work of Henry Richardson and Louis Sullivan, and the importance of aesthetics. Early Chicago’s development of the highrise.
Dan Mitchell, an enthusiastic advocate for historic restoration, traditional building, and Maine’s culture. He is the property manager at Vaughan Homestead in Hallowell. He has done presentations for nearly all the local historical societies, and has taught this course for adult education in Waterville and Augusta.