James C. Lord House


The James C. Lord House is a historic house at 497 Main Street in Lewiston, Maine. Built in 1885 for a prominent local businessman, it is a high quality blend of late 19th-century architectural styles. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Description and history

The Lord House stands north of downtown Lewiston, on a slight rise at the southeast corner of Main Street. It is a 2-1/2 story masonry structure, built out of red brick with granite trim. The house is roughly T-shaped, with a polychrome slate roof that is gabled in the side ends and hipped at the rear. The roof is pierced on several elevations by gabled dormers, and a three-story tower projects from the front, capped by a pyramidal roof. A single-story porch extends across the full width of the front; it has square posts rising to arched openings, with low balustrades between. Windows have granite sills and lintels, and there are paired brackets in the corners of the eaves. A period carriage house, also built of brick, stands behind the house.
The house was built in 1885 to a design by Jefferson Coburn, a local architect from whom only a few designs are known. Its massing is typical of the Queen Anne style, but its design includes elements of Gothic, Italianate, and Stick styles. The house was built for James C. Lord, a prominent local business man who operated a dry goods business at 379 Lisbon Street. The house was purchased in 1920 by Timothy Callahan, a prominent local politician.