Winn Road Schoolhouse 

42 Winn Road, Cumberland  | Nominated to Places in Peril in 2015

The Issue

The Winn Road School is one of only two known one-room, brick, Greek Revival schoolhouses remaining in Maine (the other is irreversibly modified).  Built in 1846 the schoolhouse stands in a rural setting surrounded by gently rolling farmland. It features a full brick pediment, date block, granite lintels, and a unique, gradually sloped floor, made to ease sight lines for students. The building is vacant and vandals have broken most of the 6/6 sash windows, exposing the interior to the elements. Unused and unmaintained, the school’s wood architectural elements are in disrepair and the masonry walls need repointing.

Our Position

Greater Portland Landmarks nominated the school to its Places in Peril program in 2015. Since listing, the owner has secured the school windows from additional vandalism. The building has the potential for reuse and could potentially benefit from state and federal historic preservation tax credits.

The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, as is the Captain Ruel & Lucy Merrill House across the street. The Town of Cumberland holds a preservation easement on the school and recognizes that both properties are important historic resources. The Town recently added the property surrounding the school to its Growth Area. Landmarks seeks a solution for future development on the adjacent lots that is sensitive to the scale of the school and its residential neighbors and conserves the rural agricultural character of the site.

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