RURAL ARCHITECTURE : MAINE
MERCHANT HOUSE
The Merchant House ( "Merchant Cottage" ) was built in 1910 by Howard Merchant for his wife and family. He was not a farmer;
he worked at the nearby granite quarry. The property is located one mile north of Somesville on Rt.102, Mount Desert Island in Maine. It has a view across a field toward Babson Creek which is off Somes Sound.
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The original house size was 624 sq.ft. on two levels, plus a basement. A 140 sq.ft. lean-to was added later. The house was constructed of common wood framing. The exterior walls were sheathed with both wood shingles and vertical boarding,
and the roof was covered with wood shingles. The foundation was stone.
The original house size was 624 sq.ft. on two levels, plus a basement. A 140 sq.ft. lean-to was added later. The house was constructed of common wood framing. The exterior walls were sheathed with both wood shingles and vertical boarding,
and the roof was covered with wood shingles. The foundation was stone.
Merchant eventually moved to a nearby Cape Cod style house. The most recent rental tenant, who lived in the house for 14 years,
installed electricity and running water. She lived with the wood stove for heat. Subsequently the winters of 2007 & 2008 caused more deterioration of the structure. In 2009, a family trust donated funds to restore the exterior of the structure to preserve it for the future. The building is currently in a stable condition but is in need of a new restoration. The following are samples of the drawing documentation which I prepared in 2017.
First Floor Second Floor
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Contact: frederick@biebesheimer.com
Contact: frederick@biebesheimer.com