National Register Listing

Dominican Block

141-145 Lincoln St., Lewiston, ME

The Dominican Block on the corner of Chestnut and Lincoln Streets was the center around which swirled much of Lewiston's Franco-American life. The Reverend Louis Alexandre Mothon, the first Dominican priest of Saint Peter's, was deeply aware of the French community's need for a school where children could obtain religion as well as secular Instruction, in French as well as in English. The Dominican Block was the result. It opened its doors to 650 students on January 8, 1883. Eight Sisters of Charity, or Gray Nuns, had charge of instruction until the Ladies of Sion arrived in 1892 to assume this task. From the very start, however, the Dominican Building was more than a school. It served as a place of worship and as a social center as well. Long-time residents of the Little Canada and Lincoln Street areas still recall attending Mass there. The building was also important as a place where the Franco-American community could enjoy its plays and operas.

The English language newspaper referred to the Dominican Building as the social and political nerve center of the French Catholic population, an unofficial city hall.

The Dominicans spared no expense when they planned the building. They hired George M. Coombs, one of Lewiston's best architects, to design it. The Dominican Building is an imposing five-story brick and granite structure in the architectural style called Queen Anne. It was a highly popular type of building; a similar structure stands on Chestnut Street, and Coombs designed a smaller version of the Dominican Building in the town of Farmington.

Today the building no longer serves its original function. Years ago the Dominicans sold the building to private owners who removed the religious symbols and converted the structure for commercial and social purposes.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.