Nestled up on a hill, set back from route 114 just north of College Avenue, Academy Hall blends in with the rural splendor of Gorham.
At first glance, the Academy building might seem like a typical New England structure, with its cupola, stark white clapboard exterior and typical green shutters. It is not.
Academy building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.
“Academy Hall is the oldest classroom building on the USM campus, and is one of the best examples of Federal school architecture in Maine,” wrote retired USM professor Joyce K. Bibber in her 2001 book, “University of Southern Maine.”
Academy building has received more attention than usual recently.
Renovations were made over winter break when new energy efficient windows and a new heating system were installed. The new windows conform to standards set by the Secretary of the Interior for historical places. The new windows are wood framed, insulated glass pane, and have a six over six design that looks almost identical to the previous windows.
Yet there is one major difference: They keep the heat in.
“The new windows look almost exactly like the old ones. Before the new windows were installed, we were freezing in here,” said USM Art Professor Juris Ubans. “We had plastic sheeting over the windows to keep the cold out. We use nude models in here and we need it to be warm. Now it actually feels hot in here.”
Renovations such as the windows are made when needed, but within strict regulations because of the buildings unusual lease and historical status. Special care is taken to insure that the historic integrity of the structure is maintained.
On May 5, 1803, Massachusetts Governor, Caleb Strong, approved an act that incorporated Gorham Academy, making it one of only six academies in Maine at that time. Mr. Thomas McLellan donated Land for the Academy and construction soon followed. The Academy building was dedicated Sept. 8, 1806, (now known as Academy Hall) and it opened for enrollment the following day. By the end of the first term, 33 male students enrolled in the college preparatory school. Tuition was $2.50 per quarter in 1807, and the Academy was used as a preparatory school until 1877.
In 1910 the trustees gave the structure to the state of Maine on a 999-year lease under the conditions that the architectural designs of the interior and exterior must be maintained, and that the building must be repaired or replaced at the expense of the state. Another clause in the lease specifies that the building may be used for educational purposes only. The state has used the building as a grammar school, a dormitory, and for industrial arts classes. Today Academy building is still used in the service of education, offering room for the 350 art students taking classes under its roof.
This 19th century Federal style Academy building is architecturally as well as historically significant. A closer look at the front fa?ade of the building reveals fine architectural details that enhance the main entrance. The balcony is supported by four Doric wooden columns support the balcony and porch, which is accessed by tri-directional granite stairs. On the roof rests a square wood cupola with arched openings on each side of it, and a wooden spire atop it. In the cupola hangs a bell that was installed in 1807.
The new energy efficient windows cost the University $48,500.
The windows combined with a new heating system should drastically reduce the amount of fuel oil used to heat Academy Hall. The old furnace burned 3600 gallons of fuel oil last year to heat Academy Hall, and a lot of that heat escaped from the old single pane windows, according to to Dave Early, executive director of Facilities Management. The new double pane windows hold in more heat and should pay for themselves in about seven years according, he said.
Stuart C. Koretsky, contributing writer can be reached at [email protected]