Christ Church (Dark Harbor, Maine)
Christ Church is a historic non-denominational church on Christ Church Road in the Dark Harbor district of Islesboro, Maine, U.S.A. Since its construction in 1901-02, it has been used for Episcopal services.[2] The building, a well-kept example of Maine's coastal summer churches of the turn of the 20th century, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.[1]
Christ Church | |
Nearest city | Dark Harbor, Maine |
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Coordinates | 44°15′26″N 68°54′45″W |
Area | 4.6 acres (1.9 ha) |
Built | 1901 |
Architect | Allen, Francis R. |
Architectural style | Shingle Style |
NRHP reference No. | 92000276[1] |
Added to NRHP | March 26, 1992 |
Description and history
Christ Church is located in southern Islesboro, an island community in Penobscot Bay in central Maine, U.S.A. It is set overlooking Pendleton Point Road, the major north-south route on the narrow island, which runs to the east of the building. It is a roughly cruciform structure, its long axis oriented north-south, and is finished in wooden shingles and stucco, with a rubblestone foundation. It is reached from Christ Church Road by a walkway lined by stone walls that passes over an arched stone bridge. The south-facing main facade has a gabled entrance porch supported by square posts with decorative brackets, with a half-timbered gable. The porch eaves have exposed rafter ends, and the porch is flanked by paired diamond-pane windows. Above the porch in the main gable is a grouping of four similar windows. The eastern facade, on the downhill side of the sloped site, has an exposed basement with stone buttresses and arched louvered openings.[3]
The Dark Harbor area of Islesboro was developed in the late 19th century as a summer resort area, which, like many of Maine's other coastal summer resort enclaves, soon had a call for Episcopal religious services. The first such services were held at the Islesboro Inn ballroom in 1891, and a small church was soon built on this site. Its capacity was rapidly exceeded, and the present building, designed by Boston architect Francis R. Allen, was built as a major expansion of that structure in 1901-02.[3] The church is governed by an independent board of trustees, and is formally "open to all".
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- "Episcopal Diocese of Maine: Christ Church Dark Harbor". Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
- "NRHP nomination for Christ Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-08-27.