Booklet available for Strathglass repairs

RUMFORD -- The Strathglass Park Preservation Society is distributing a 48-page booklet called "Repair and Maintenance of Your Strathglass Building."

Member Phil Blampied said the first 200 booklets will be distributed at no charge. Copies are currently available to the town hall or the public library.

After these are gone, they will be cost $10 each and will be available by mailing to the Strathglass Park Preservation Society, P.O. Box 65, Rumford, ME 04276.

The Strathglass buildings are entering their second century of existence. The booklet notes that the bricks and mortar are starting to reach a critical point where much of the brickwork needs repair. From better wiring to better insulation for these buildings, the challenge is to complete the repairs on the Strathglass buildings without diminishing their historical, cultural and architectural value, and to restore those, if possible, on which inappropriate work has been done.

Blampied said this collaborative effort included gathering technical information available online from the Department of the Interior and links from the National Park Service. There are some basic guidelines in the booklet as well. The Society believes the restoration of the Strathglass Park can be a key to the revitalization of the River Valley.

The booklet is regarded as a first step to assit owners of these home in the challenging task of maintaining and repairing their buildings.

One of Maine's first planned communities, Strathglass Park, like the paper mill, has dominated this community for more than a century, sprung from the vision of Hugh Chisholm.

Chisholm commissioned prominent New York architect Chase H. Gilbert to design the homes and together they visited Scotland in search of architectural inspiration.

In 1902, construction began on a unique assemblage of slate-roofed brick buildings with a Scottish inspiration: 51 two-family duplexes, four single family dwellings, and nine apartment houses. These buildings were created with a beautiful harmony, unified in style but individually unique in layout and appearance. No two were designed exactly alike.

The main section of homes was announced by a towering granite gateway which opened to an oval set of avenues divided by an open park area.

These avenues -- Urquhart Street, Lochness Road, Erchles Street and Clachan Place -- were named after Chisholm's favorite Scottish towns.

Strathglass Park lived up to Chisholm's vision of creating quality affordable housing for the workers at his mill and became one of the most coveted neighborhoods in Rumford Falls. The terms under which residents of the park lived were quite generous. For only nine dollars a month the Oxford Paper Company provided more than just attractive homes with up-to-date conveniences. Each fully electrified home was provided with this novel miracle utility by the Rumford Falls Power Company (which Chisholm also owned) at the cost of one dollar per month. Coal was delivered regularly to each unit at the Company's cost. The snow was shoveled, grass was mowed, and the painting, papering and repairs were all provided as part of a plan to maintain the park as a showplace.

The real estate operation never made a profit, and its occasional losses were covered by the Oxford Paper Company. By 1948, it was decided that it was no longer financially feasible to maintain the park and the Rumford Reality Company was dissolved. The houses were put up for sale, with the then current residents given the first opportunity to purchase their homes at the extremely attractive price of $3,400 to $3,900 for each duplex.

The sale of the Oxford Paper Company in 1967 also contributed to a decline in the Park as the generous maintenance program which they had continued to offer to the residents of the park was finally discontinued.

In 1974, Strathglass Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Many of the ornate brick facades and slate tiled roofs are in disrepair, and original architectural features are missing. Amazingly, of those 51 buildings in Strathglass Park, all but one and a half of them still exist today.

Maine Preservation has named Strathglass Park to its list of Maine's Most Endangered Historic Properties.

The town's Economic Development Committee procured a $250,000 housing assistance grant two years ago, part of which was to aid low- to moderate-income residents of Strathglass Park complete necessary repairs to preserve that historical asset.

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Booklet available for Strathglass repairs

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