Photo: “The building will stand as long as the hills endure.” Marker

Photographer: Barry Swackhamer
Taken: June 6, 2014
Caption: “The building will stand as long as the hills endure.” Marker
Additional Description: Captions: (top) The architectural drawings of Ammi Burnham Young reveal the careful detailing inside and out. Young understood the importance of making this a visually prominent building, which would draw attention from both those who sailed up the Kennebec River and area residents. Young also knew the absolute need for a structure that safely housed important records, designing this to high fireproof standards for the time.; (bottom, right) The Custom House has been and continues to be a frequent subject of photographers. Documented in stereographic cards of the 1870s, the small, jewel-box of a building also was captured with the remarkable clarity of glass-plate negatives as seen here. In 1911 and 1912, changing needs required a substantial addition to the Custom House. The Supervising Architect at the time , James Knox Taylor, chose to remove the original riverside wall, added three bays to double the size of the building, and then reassembled the rear facade. A construction photograph by F.J. Rollins reveals the plan’s complexity.; (bottom, left) Ammi Burnham Young, the first Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury designed this Italianate Custom House in 1852. The well-crafted masonry of the smooth granite walls contrasts beautifully with the corner quoins and the crisp details around the ornamental openings. There the triangular pediments of the first-floor windows, the bracketed sills of the windows, and the projecting cornice over the doorways catch the light, creating dramatic shadows the underline the carved details. Cast-iron brackets punctuate the roofline. These details can be appreciated in many historic postcard images, or simply by turning now and looking.
Submitted: September 13, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
Database Locator Identification Number: p285615
File Size: 3.211 Megabytes

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