Longfellow Birthplace

Built in 1800, this handsome Federal style structure was demolished in 1955 to accommodate the expansion of a local business. Once in the heart of a residential neighborhood, by the time it was torn down the character of the neighborhood had changed. The Grand Trunk Railway complex dominated the area on

Despite being the birthplace of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it is not the home he grew up in. The International Longfellow Society, a passion project of Portlander Arthur C. Jackson, attempted to raise funds to save the house, but was ultimately unable to. It was only after it was torn down, followed by other iconic Portland buildings, that the preservation movement as a whole adopted it for their cause, saying “if even the house of Portland’s beloved native son could be torn down, what else might be at risk?”.

So many of the structures that were first championed by preservationists were houses lived in by famous white men, and that is a legacy that today’s preservation movement is working to rectify. Click here to learn more about how Greater Portland Landmarks is working to tell the whole story of our community, not just that of the rich and famous.