Hayford Block
Hayford Block | |
 | |
  Location within Maine  Location within the United States | |
| Location | 47 Church St., Belfast, Maine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°25′31″N 69°00′27″W / 44.42525°N 69.00747°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1866 |
| Architect | n/a |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate |
| Part of | Belfast Commercial Historic District (ID80000257) |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000087[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1977 |
| Designated CP | April 4, 1980 |
The Hayford Block is a historic commercial building at 47 Church Street in downtown Belfast, Maine. Built in 1866 and enlarged in 1869, it was the first significant construction after a major fire devastated central Belfast in 1865. It is also home to Hayford Hall, an opera house that was for many years the city's major performance venue.
Description and history
[edit]The commercial heart of Belfast is a five-way intersection including Main Street, Church Street, and Beaver Street. The Hayford Block is located on the east side of this intersection bounded on the north by Beaver Street and the south by Church Street. The block has two distinct sections: the one facing the intersection, which is three stories in height, and one further along Church Street, which is four stories. The three-story section has a "flatiron" triangular form, with an exposed basement level along Beaver Street. The first floor and basement are finished in granite, with retail storefronts. The second and third floors are identical, with sash windows set between stone sills and lintels, with projecting brick piers at the corners and ends of the section. A broad bracketed cornice tops the structure. The four-story section continues the same styling, the only notable difference being a second-floor loading bay facing Church Street, set under a projecting cornice. This section also houses the former opera house, a 1300-seat performance space with relatively restrained decoration.[2]
The Hayford Block was built by Belfast Mayor Axel Hayford, the first major construction to take place after a devastating fire swept through downtown Belfast in 1865, at a cost of $35,000.[3] The three-story section was completed in 1866, and the four-story section was added in 1869. The opera house was one of the city's leading performance venues, playing host to traveling theater companies, vaudeville shows, and local entertainment.[2]
Renovation Plans
[edit]The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 29, 1977.[1] and placed on the "Most Endangered Properties" list in 2014. [4]. In October, 2025, the Old Belfast Opera House, LLC submitted plans to renovate Hayford Block and the Opera House, bringing them up to present-day standards. [5]
See also
[edit]External links
[edit]- Seymour, Tom (June 2013), "Coastal Maine Place Names", Fisherman's Voice
- Belfast Historical Socety, (YouTube) The Hayford Block
References
[edit]- 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Hayford Block". National Park Service. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ↑ Hayford, Otis (1901), History of the Hayford Family, 1100-1909: With Biographical and illustrations, its connections by the Bonney, Fuller and Phinney families with the Mayflower, 1602, Chickering family, 1356-1900, Canton, Maine: Rumford Fall Publishing, p. 220
- ↑ Andrew, Ethan (November 11, 2014), "Belfast Opera House makes Maine Preservation's 'Most Endangered Properties' list", Penobscot Bay Pilot
- ↑ Old Belfast Opera House, LLC (October 29, 2025), Intown Design Review, City of Belfast
- Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
- Greek Revival architecture in Maine
- Italianate architecture in Maine
- Commercial buildings completed in 1866
- Buildings and structures in Belfast, Maine
- 1866 establishments in Maine
- National Register of Historic Places in Waldo County, Maine
- Historic district contributing properties in Waldo County, Maine