Lamb Block

The Lamb Block in Livermore Falls, Androscoggin County, Maine is eligible for listing in the National Register at the local level of significance under Criteria C. The three-story brick structure located on the north side of Depot Street was designed by George M. Coombs and built for John F. Lamb in 1895 to house the hardware business Lamb owned with his son-in-law, A.W. Stuart. It is a classic example of a late 19th-century downtown commercial structure with first-floor storefronts, second-floor professional offices, and a large, third-floor meeting hall. The use of brick, cast iron, and terra cotta for exterior materials is also characteristic of commercial architecture of this period. It was the first substantial brick commercial building in Livermore Falls and the first of several important buildings Coombs designed in the town in the late 1890s. The area of significance is architecture, and it is a property that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction. The period of significance reflects the date of construction, 1895.

The Lamb Block was the first masonry commercial block in Livermore Falls and it served as the prototype for several other significant commercial buildings in the town. Utilizing a common form, proportions, structure, plan, style, and materials for this type of building in the 1890s, architect George M. Coombs brought the late 19th-century commercial block to Livermore Falls.

A common building style, which is clearly the basis for the Lamb Block, is the double-front building. With this plan, two retail spaces were available in the building with upper floors available for other uses. Herbert Gottfried, who wrote American Vernacular Buildings and Interiors 1870-1960, describes this type with the following: "Because of the size of the façade, the front had a three-part organization: show windows, commercial entry, and residential entry at the street level; upper-floor windows in rows, groups, bands, or as single units with cladding panels in between; and a cornice line that included the parapet, its coping, and other decorative elements. The more popular materials for this building were typically brick and terra cotta." The Lamb Block includes all of these elements while providing separate entrances to each of the two retail areas on the first floor. This plan typically included brick piers at the corners and a flat roof with a parapet, both present on the Lamb Block.

The two main streets in the village, Depot Street and Main Street, make up the commercial center of Livermore Falls, while the rest of the town remains primarily rural. Prior to 1895, the buildings on these streets were of wood construction. Historic postcard views show Greek Revival commercial buildings intermixed with residential buildings of the same style suggesting a lack of major development between the mid- to late-19th century. By 1878, manufacturing was increasing in the town, the population was growing, and the town center became a more prominent feature of the town.

The shift toward a larger commercial center prompted a change in Livermore Falls's architecture. Businessmen of the community recognized this change and encouraged growth and development by expanding retail space and developing the architecture of the commercial center. For example, in order to increase the commercial space on Depot Street, John F. Lamb, a business owner and prominent member of the community, demolished the carriage house and a portion of the ell at his house on the corner of Depot and Main Streets to make way for the Lamb Block. This act also allowed for two adjacent one-story structures to the west of the Lamb Block, built after the Lamb Block was completed, one of which became the post office.

Urban populations were growing quickly at the end of the 19th century, and architecture changed to reflect the needs of this new population. As summarized by author Carole Rifkind, "Downtown streets, almost exclusively commercial, tended to become specialized according to administrative, retail, wholesale, industrial, or recreational use." The fast-paced growth of the urbanized centers may not have been as dramatically visible in small, primarily rural villages such as Livermore Falls, but they had an effect nonetheless. New building types and reinterpretations of old types were both fashionable and practical. "The freestanding narrow and deep retail store is an Americanism that dots rural hamlets across the country. In masonry commercial blocks, these retail spaces were situated on the first floor with upper floors designated for other uses, as is the case of the Lamb Block.

Historically, the first floor was used for retail. According to the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, in 1897 the first floor housed a hardware store and a clothing store. A report in the September 15, 1898 edition of The Advertiser newspaper on the fire of 1898 notes that the first floor of the Lamb Block was occupied by, "W.A. Stuart & Company, hardware [a business begun by Lamb but owned by his son-in-law, Stuart, by that date], and the Livermore Falls Clothing Company. On the second floor, J.H. Maxwell's law office, office of Deputy Sheriff, A.F. Dwelley [John A. Lamb was sheriff of Androscoggin County at this time], store room and tin shop of W.A. Stuart & Company, and Mrs. Roux, dressmaking." By 1903, the hardware store had been replaced by a grocery. In 1917 the first floor was used as a pool hall and a confectionary. The pool hall side was replaced by a bakery by 1927. The second floor was originally used primarily as office space, as indicated on the 1897 and 1903 Sanborn maps. The town paper, The Livermore Falls Express and Advertiser was housed on the second floor of the Lamb Block at one point. The third floor of the Lamb Block was used as a fraternal hall through at least 1917. In 1898, it was occupied by the Port Royal Lodge of the Knights of Pythias organization. The third floor housed a "Union Hall" on the 1917 Sanborn map but not on earlier maps, which were just labeled "Hall" for the third floor. Volume 53 of the International Molders' and Foundry Workers' Joumal (January 1917), notes that local 113, Livermore Falls, ME., "Meets first Thursday of the month at Union Hall, Depot St." The 1927 Sanborn map does not identify the upper story uses for 10 Depot Street but continues to identify the third story of the neighboring building as the "1.0.0.F. Hall", suggesting that there was no longer a place of public assembly on the third story of the Lamb Block. Based on this change and the physical evidence remaining on the third floor of the building, it appears the conversion to apartments occurred between 1917 and 1927. In 1979, the Odd Fellows sold their neighboring building (which was demolished for a parking lot) and moved into the second story of the Lamb Block, returning used by a fraternal organization to the building for a time.

Architectural elements

The Lamb Block includes typical materials for a late 19th century commercial block, and as the first brick commercial block in Livermore Falls, represents the beginning of a change in the architecture of the small town. Though Livermore Falls wasn't a dense urban area, sudden growth brought the prevailing styles and materials to the small town, which had not been previously used in the area. The most prominent change was that from wood construction to masonry. In the rapidly growing urban centers, masonry construction was used largely for fire safety.

Cast iron façade elements were common in the late 19th century and peaked in the 1870s, after which zinc, galvanized iron, and pressed tin came into use. The cast iron storefront details of the Lamb Block utilized this new material for the first time in Livermore Falls. Casted in panels, moldings, and columns, these decorative elements were used to liven up and accentuate the surfaces of buildings. Terra cotta ornamentation below the wood bracket cornice is an example of the variety of materials used in these commercial blocks. Though used sparingly on the Lamb Block, the terra cotta detailing below the cornice was unseen previously in Livermore Falls but appeared on several subsequent commercial blocks there. The bay windows on the second floor have been set within the depth of the wall which has been deepened on the interior to accommodate them, giving the sense from the inside that the windows extend out more than they do. This unusual feature is one that architect George M. Coombs used in various buildings around the state. Examples of this detail can be seen in buildings in cities such as Lewiston, Augusta, and Houlton built at approximately the same time.

The storefronts of the Lamb Block were also a new feature in Livermore Falls. Plate glass, manufactured in large sheets, was able to be held in tension and utilized for storefronts, providing larger display space. The transom windows above the storefronts were used to help get daylight into the deep interior spaces on the first floor. On the interior, the first floor still retains the original pressed tin ceiling, another reflection of current trends being utilized.

Fires and the architecture that followed In 1898, shortly after the construction of the Lamb Block, a fire swept through downtown Livermore Falls, wiping out much of the village including the south side of Depot Street. The Lamb Block was saved, in part, by covering the windows with zinc strips from the tin shop on the second floor; and the front of the building with carpeting and blankets. Another fire occurred in 1899 and destroyed many buildings that had survived the fire the previous year. Once again, the Lamb Block was spared. The reconstruction of Livermore Falls updated the commercial center following the model established by the Lamb Block several years previously and transformed the town, capitalizing on the opportunity to rebuild.

Within a few years, many of the buildings that burned were replaced with more substantial structures similar in character to the Lamb Block, including the Nason Block, which sits diagonally across from it. After the fire of 1899, John F. Lamb built a one-story brick block with four storefronts on the site of his former home at the corner of Depot and Main Streets, on the same lot as the Lamb Block. These four retail spaces can be seen on the 1903 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. After the neighboring Rockomeka Hotel was taken down in 1899-1900, a second section of this block was built, which first appeared on the 1908 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, providing a total of eight storefronts along Depot and Main Streets. Both the three-story brick building at 10 Depot Street and this one-story structure on the corner of Depot and Main Streets were historically referred to as the Lamb Block, although they were not physically connected. It is likely the current, much altered one-story building at the corner of Depot and Main Streets is the building built by Lamb. If it is, it was altered beyond recognition in the later 20th century.

The Lewiston Journal reported in 1899: "As one passes through Livermore Falls, he is impressed by the fine, new blocks going up to replace the old ones that were destroyed by fire. Noticeable is the large five-story building on Main Street, called the Sharaf Block, which will contain the Bank, Post Office, Opera House, Court Room, and large stores. In addition to this report, the Town Register stated in 1903: "These two fires were very disastrous to the place yet the village has apparently recovered from the loss and, with the new blocks she has built, looks far better than of old. 10 The masonry buildings built after these fires are relatively intact today, including the Sharaf Block which was rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in 1910.

George M. Coombs (November 27, 1851- March 25, 1909)

George M. Coombs was one of the most prominent 19th-century architects in Maine, having established himself as a talented professional in Lewiston by the 1870s. The Lamb Block is in line with other commercial work he completed in the late 19th century in small towns in Maine and New Hampshire. Coombs' designs of this type could be found in Houlton, Norway, Rumford Falls, as well as larger cities such as Lewiston and Auburn.

Coombs grew up on a farm near Brunswick, Maine. He began his career while living in Lewiston working for Charles F. Douglas. It is possible he may have been a carpenter for a few years, but no other information about his training is known. Douglas was the leading architect in Western Maine, and Coombs gained much experience working under him. By 1873, Coombs set out to form an architectural firm, based in Lewiston, with Charles H. Kimball of Portland which lasted one year. In 1875, Coombs partnered with William H. Stevens in the firm Stevens & Coombs. Competition was minimal, and the firm did well until the death of Stevens in 1880. It was at this time that George Coombs established his own firm. During this time, new materials and styles were emerging and Coombs designed new commercial blocks in brick with architectural details that reflected the changes in current fashions.

The changes in architecture in the late 19th century were spread widely through pattern books and professional periodicals: George M. Coombs was aware of these periodicals and engaged in the most recent developments. He published his designs in the American Architect and Building News, the largest and most prestigious of the new journals. The threat of fire and new fireproof construction techniques were utilized in Coombs' work. During the late 19th century, he began designing large blocks with retail space on the first floor and offices or halls above. Stylistically, the buildings were beginning to show an awareness of current trends and fashions.

The original design drawings for the Lamb Block in Livermore Falls are located in the George M. Coombs collection at the Maine Historical Society in Portland. The drawings show that in May of 1895, Coombs designed a two-story commercial block for the A.W. Stuart & Co. hardware store (owned by John F. Lamb and his son-in-law, A.W. Stuart). Drawings from that date include elevations of all four sides of the building; plans for the basement, first floor, and second floor, framing plans for the first floor, second floor, second floor ceiling, and roof, detail drawings for stone window sills, iron columns, and steel lintels.

In August of 1895, a new front elevation shows a three-story building (as it exists today). Also dated August 1895 is a design for two roof trusses, one 5' tall and the other 5'8" tall. A September 1895 drawing details the doors and their moldings.

The drawings appear to document that the building was originally intended to be a two-story commercial block and that a third story was added before it was completed, probably during construction. This story was built to accommodate the Knights of Pythias Fraternal Hall. This would explain the need for the large trusses to span the open hall on the third floor and the interesting "attic story" visible on the façade (which accommodates the trusses). The absence of a third-story plan or of side and rear elevations of the three-story version of the building also suggests a change made during construction, with no time for any more than the most essential drawings. It seems likely the third floor was simply divided into two or three large spaces for its use as a fraternal hall.

In 1896, Coombs began the firm of Coombs, Gibbs & Wilkinson with Eugene J. Gibbs and Harry C. Wilkinson. With his designs for the Lamb Block created in 1895, Coombs saw the Lamb Block constructed before the formation of this firm. In the 1897 Sharaf Block, Coombs' firm clearly uses the same design vocabulary as the Lamb Block. The fires in Livermore Falls in 1898 and 1899 provided the opportunity to replace the buildings in masonry and Coombs' firm was hired to design several new commercial buildings including Ham Block, A.W. Stuart Block, and the Whitman Block. His firm also redesigned the Sharaf Building after it burned in 1910, after his death. While the Lamb Block embodied the double front building, other Coombs structures in Livermore Falls focused more on the commercial first floor. The Whitman Block and Ham Block were designed primarily for the commercial purpose they accommodated. The Sharaf building was designed to accommodate the Post Office, retail spaces, professional offices, meeting halls, courtrooms, and opera house. Utilizing a similar pattern seen in the Lamb Block, but on a larger scale and including more community-oriented purposes, the Sharaf building advanced this model. This shift in design may be attributed to Coombs' partners, specifically Harry Wilkinson, who contributed to the Italian Renaissance-style commercial blocks by the firm. The Sharaf, Ham, and Whitman Blocks in Livermore Falls include this Renaissance-inspired design.

Development of Livermore Falls

The area that now includes Livermore and Livermore Falls was settled in the 1770s and was first called Port Royal. The town of Livermore was incorporated in 1795 with land spanning both sides of the Androscoggin River in both Kennebec and Oxford counties. East Livermore was incorporated in 1844 and was included in the new county of Androscoggin.
The small town eventually became known as Livermore Falls Village. In the early 19th century, most of the land was farmland until lumber and logging began to take hold as an industry. By the late 1800s, the lumber industry expanded the village with the construction of mills." The larger mills were made possible by the arrival of the railroad, which made it possible to transport mill output in bulk. This had not been possible earlier because the Androscoggin River was not navigable above the falls in Brunswick, Maine.

In 1852 Livermore Falls welcomed the first train on the Androscoggin Railroad and an existing lane was extended to reach the new railroad depot and was named Depot Street. Subsequently, the town prospered and expanded with new mills and commercial development in the downtown area. Population grew by 25% over the next eight years and new businesses opened and expanded in the downtown, occupying new wood-framed commercial buildings.

The introduction of the railroad brought prosperity to the small village. The influx of population led to the construction of new commercial and public buildings. This was the time that what eventually became the Roccomeka Hotel was constructed from a former house on Main Street, retail shops moved to the west side of Main Street and new businesses came to Depot Street. As this center of town grew and expanded, the Third Baptist Church of Livermore even relocated to Church Street, closer to the area of increasing population.

According to the Maine Register of 1878, manufacturing was a prominent industry in Livermore Falls. The industry included leatherboard, clothing, clocks, furniture, harnesses, shoes, plows, shingles, lumber and boxes, carriages, and pill boxes. In addition, tailors, a tinsmith, and a sawmill were in operation in the village."

Between 1895 and 1899, Livermore Falls was transformed from a small village to a town ready to enter the 20th century. "The destruction by flood of the old, wooden, covered bridge and its replacement by a modern steel suspension bridge; the two conflagrations which, together, swept away all of the business section as it existed before, to be succeeded by larger, substantial masonry structures; the establishment of a bank; the introduction of electric light and power, the building of a municipal water supply system; all took place in that five year period." The change came fast, but important members of the community, such as John F. Lamb, helped guide the progress and ensure the success of progress in Livermore Falls.

John F. Lamb

John F. Lamb was an important figure in the history of Livermore Falls and of Androscoggin County. He was born in Clinton, Maine in 1843, where his father, James, was a farmer. In 1880, Lamb moved to Livermore Falls where he established a hardware, plumbing, and heating business. The Maine State Year-Book and Legislative Manual for the Years 1883-84 lists him as a merchant of stoves, hardware, paints, hides, sheepskins, and oils and an 1887 publication lists him as a merchant of stoves, tin, hardware, and crockery. The 1883-84 Year- Book also lists Lamb as a Deputy Sheriff for Androscoggin County. During this time, Lamb lived in a two-story home at the corner of Depot and Main Streets and was very active in the community. In Sprague's Journal of Maine's History, Lamb is described as "a man of intelligence and progressive instincts as a citizen." Lamb was also a charter member and officer of the Livermore Falls Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 83, also organized in 1881. Both the Odd Fellows and the GAR had their meeting halls in a neighboring building east of the Lamb Block.

In 1885, Lamb's son-in-law, William A. Stuart, became involved in Lamb's hardware business and took it over under the name of W.A. Stuart Company after Lamb was elected Androscoggin County Sheriff. This company is cited as one of the three major players in the town's development at the turn of the century in Sturtevant's history. Lamb owned the three-story brick block at 10 Depot Street where Mr. Stuart had his hardware business.

"The Sign of John F. Lamb" by Amasa Alden, 1887

'Tis just beyond the store of Ham,
Is seen the sign of John F. Lamb, Dressed out like queen in velvet gown,
The pride and beauty of the town.
One need not search that sign to greet, 'Tis seen the length of Depot Street, From Androscoggin's western shore, 'Tis seen for half a mile or more.
It covers up no secret tale,
It shows just what Lamb keeps for sale, No cider, rum, or wine, or beer,
Nor yet Jamaica ginger here.
When strangers come into the place, This sign will stare them in the face, No matter whether far of nigh,
This sign will show them where to buy.
'Tis by this sign the tools are found,
Of every name to till the ground,
Scythes, rakes and pitch-forks, shovels and hoes,
Plows, harrow teeth, and iron crows.
Oil, paints and varnish, or the best,
All warrented to stand the test, And articles I cannot name,
That sign will show you all the same.
It say to everyone on earth,
'Tis here you get your money's worth, No double prices here are meant, To gull the people of a cent.
Now everyone who wants to buy, Just call, the goods and prices try, All fare alike, one as another,
John Lamb will use you like a brother.