The Sweetest Dorm You've Ever Seen
A picturesque dorm, a fraternal society’s hall, and a saved-from-demo school are among the standouts in Maine Preservation’s annual Honor Awards.
TEXT BY SARAH STEBBINS
BOODY-JOHNSON HOUSE
History: “You may perhaps wonder very much that with a salary of a thousand dollars I am so pinched for money, but I can explain,” Bowdoin professor Henry Boody wrote his mom before disclosing the Gothic Revival cottage he built for six grand. The college acquired it in 1957.
Heroes: Auburn’s Harriman Associates and Freeport’s Zachau Construction modernized the 1849 building for student living while retaining its storybook vibe.
Highlight: An earthy 19th-century palette makes the board-and-batten, half-timbering, and gingerbread trim pop.
BROOKLIN IOOF HALL
History: Local Ralph Bent built the mansard-roofed Italianate for Good Samaritan fraternal group the Odd Fellows in 1896.
Heroes: Brooklin Boat Yard’s Steve White and partners Robert Baird and John Ike returned the vacant hall to its corniced and dormered glory, carving out a boat-building shop and a pair of vacation rentals.
Highlight: The restoration of dozens of hooded, double-hung windows sporting their original glass.
LISBON VILLAGE SCHOOL APARTMENTS
History: Marjorie Standish, author of the influential Cooking Down East, taught home ec at the former Lisbon High School, designed by local architect Joseph Philbrook and built in 1893.
Heroes: Contractor Bob Strout and his wife, Aline, turned the collapsing structure, slated for demo, into apartments and inspired 1,500 Facebookers to follow the project.
Highlights: Original blackboards, water fountains, ink-stained hardwood floors, and wainscoting bearing years of kids’ etchings.