Elms
a.k.a. Eagle Hotel
Elm St., Mechanic Falls, ME"The Elms" originally built as a hotel, but for many years serving as a paper company office, serves as a significant reminder of a very prosperous period in the history of Mechanic Falls when the water power derived from the Little Androscoggin River attracted a number of manufacturing industries. The structure is also important as an impressive and handsome statement in the late Greek Revival tradition which serves as an architectural focal point in the community.
In 1859 A. C. Denison and Company built the Eagle Hotel at a cost of seven thousand dollars, and by at least one account, it contained about forty rooms. The hotel, "one of the finest establishments of its kind east of Boston", was operated by several landlords until about 1870 when Mr. A. C. Denison occupied it as his residence. In 1887 a Mr. Jordan again opened the building as a hotel and changed its name to "The Elms". Since that time the building has apparently remained as an integral part of the paper mill properties on the East Side of the Little Androscoggin River, which have changed owners on several occasions over the ensuing years. Although a map of the Town dated 1907 identifies the building as the Hotel Elms the history of the structure since that time is less certain. During the recent past it has served as the residence for the manager of the paper mill.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.