Merrill Hall, located at Main and Academy Streets in

Farmington, Maine Farmington is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,592. Farmington is home to the University of Maine at Farmington, Nordica Memorial Auditorium, the Nordica Homestea ...

, is the oldest building on the campus of the

University of Maine at Farmington The University of Maine at Farmington (UMaine Farmington or UMF) is a public liberal arts college in Farmington, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System and a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. History ...

. It was designed by George M. Coombs of Lewiston and built in 1898, replacing the school's original 1864 building, but includes an ell dating to 1888. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980. It currently houses administrative offices of the university.

Architecture and history

Merrill Hall is set on a rise facing Farmington's Main Street to the west, just south of the town's central business district. It is a Romanesque Revival building 2-1/2 stories in height, constructed of brick with granite and wood trim. Its main facade is asymmetrically arranged, with a low round tower to the right, and a taller square tower to the left, the latter topped by a belfry and octagonal bellcast roof. The main entrance lies between them sheltered by a deep porch with three round arches. To the rear of the building is an attached 2-1/2 story brick ell, which predates the construction of the main block. The University of Maine at Farmington was established as the "Western State Normal School" in 1864 as the state's first publicly funded

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

. It was originally housed in the old wood-frame

Farmington Academy Farmington Academy was a secondary school for boys which opened in 1812 in Farmington, Maine. Plagued by financial problems, the property became part of the State Normal School system in the 1860s. Merrill Hall is located on the site of what was th ...

building, to which the present rear ell was added in 1888. Demand for space and the deteriorating condition of the old academy building prompted its demolition in 1897, followed by the construction of the main building in 1898. The architect was George M. Coombs of Lewiston, a prominent architect who also designed many buildings in downtown Farmingtion and elsewhere in Maine. The normal school was formally merged into the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

system in 1971. Merrill Hall now houses space for the performing and visual arts.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Romanesque Revival architecture in Maine Buildings and structures completed in 1888 Buildings and structures in Franklin County, Maine University of Maine at Farmington National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Maine Historic district contributing properties in Maine 1888 establishments in Maine

Architecture and history

See also

References