How Houses

Historic houses in Maine, United States

United States historic place

How Houses

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

23 Danforth St.

Show map of Maine

Show map of the United States

Location| 23 Danforth Street and 30–32, 40 Pleasant Street, Portland, Maine
Coordinates| 43°39′14″N 70°15′30″W﻿ / ﻿43.65389°N 70.25833°W﻿ / 43.65389; -70.25833
Area| 1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built| 1799 (1799)
Built by| Daniel How, Joseph How
Architectural style| Federal
NRHP reference No.| 80000377[1]
Added to NRHP| January 20, 1980

The How Houses are a trio of Federal period houses on adjacent lots facing Danforth and Pleasant Streets in Portland, Maine. Built between 1799 and 1818, they are a surviving reminder of how the surrounding area was once developed; they are now surrounded by more modern commercial properties. They were listed as a group on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980; the Daniel How House was separately listed in 1973.[1]

## Description and history

[edit]

The first of the How houses to be built is the Daniel How House at 23 Danforth Street. Built in 1799, it is a 2+1⁄2-story brick building, trimmed with granite, and featuring a Doric entrance portico. It was built by Daniel How, a native of Methuen, Massachusetts, on land belonging to his father-in-law. The second house, that of Daniel's son John, was built by Daniel as a wedding present for his son in 1817. It stands at 40 Pleasant Street, and has similar Federal styling to the father's house. Its entrance is recessed in an archway, with sidelight and fanlight transom windows. The third house, a double house at 30–32 Pleasant Street, was built in 1818 by Daniel's brother Joseph. It is three stories in height, built of brick with granite trim like the others, and has entrances styled similar to those of John's house.[2]

At the time Daniel How built his house, it directly overlooked the waterfront and Casco Bay to the northeast, as Commercial Street, which parallels Danforth on the waterfront, did not exist. The properties have in the intervening years been hemmed in by later commercial development, but are a well-preserved reminder of the area's early 19th-century appearance.[2]

* 30–32 Pleasant St.

* 40 Pleasant St.

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for How Houses". National Park Service. Retrieved December 26, 2015.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to How Houses (Portland, Maine).

* v
* t
* e

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Topics|

* Architectural style categories
* Contributing property
* Historic district
* History of the National Register of Historic Places
* Keeper of the Register
* National Park Service
* Property types

Lists by state|

* List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state:
* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Lists by insular areas|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Minor Outlying Islands
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* Virgin Islands

Lists by associated state|

* Federated States of Micronesia
* Marshall Islands
* Palau

Other areas|

* District of Columbia
* American Legation, Morocco

Related|

* National Historic Preservation Act
* Historic Preservation Fund
* List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places
* University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places

* National Register of Historic Places portal
* Category

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template