Charles Q. Clapp Block, Portland

The Hay Building鈥攂etter known to locals as the Charles Q. Clapp Building鈥攊s one of downtown Portland鈥檚 proud survivors. Built in 1826 by Charles Q. Clapp himself, it鈥檚 one of the city鈥檚 oldest commercial blocks, still holding its corner at the busy crossroads of Congress, High, and Free Streets. If buildings could talk, this one would probably remind its younger neighbors it was in business long before Portland even had streetcars.

The main section is three stories of pale brick with green trim, its first two floors framed by arched windows that give it a friendly, almost winking look. The third floor was added in 1922, topped with a tidy cornice that ties it all together. Sharing the block are two smaller companions鈥攐ne a shorter three-story with square windows and a storefront, the other a 2陆-story building with a recessed doorway and a decorative railing that鈥檚 more about looks than protection.

Originally a clean-lined Federal-style design, the building earned its lasting nickname thanks to Hay鈥檚 Pharmacy, which set up shop on the ground floor in 1841. The name stuck, even as the upper floors changed and the tenants came and went.

Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hay Building stands like a three-piece time capsule鈥攑art history lesson, part downtown anchor, and part reminder that Portland has been blending business and personality for nearly 200 years.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Portland. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Charles Q. Clapp Block
Sight Location: Portland, USA (See walking tours in Portland)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Historical Buildings Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Portland, Maine

Create Your Own Walk in Portland

Creating your own self-guided walk in Portland is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Historical Buildings Walking Tour

Portland, Maine may be small, but it packs centuries of history into its streets. Think of it as a living scrapbook鈥攕ome pages sing in stone, others whisper in brick, and all of them survived the city鈥檚 Great Fire of 1866, which could鈥檝e erased it all. Instead, Portland rebuilt in style, and today you can wander its historic core spotting everything from colonial leftovers to Victorian... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles

Portland Maine Introduction Walking Tour

If New York is the city that never sleeps, Portland, Maine, is the city that daydreams with an ocean breeze. Jutting out into Casco Bay, this coastal gem balances big-city energy with the easygoing warmth of a neighborhood you鈥檝e known your whole life.

Long before lobster shacks and artisan coffee shops, the Algonquian people (populous indigenous American group) called this land... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles

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