I’m Jake Newman. The Portland Logbook is my love letter to this city: the food worth hunting down, the history that refuses to die, the corners you only find if you’re paying attention.

Portland Only Has a Few Houses Like This. Go Find Them

It is October, which means I start noticing the Halloween-leaning parts of Portland again. Not the hanging cobwebs or plastic skeletons, even though I do love those! I’m talking about the real stuff.

The houses that keep pulling my attention are the ones with insane angles. Tall gables. Deep shadows. Trim that was carved by hand instead of bought from a hardware store. They do not match the red bricks or cedar shingles we expect from a working port city.

I learned they belong to a style called Carpenter Gothic. Mid 1800s. Built by ship carpenters who used the same tools they used on schooners but pointed them toward rooftops instead. Instead of carving mermaids and figureheads, they put that effort into door frames and roof brackets.

There are only a few left in Portland, which makes them feel more important than most landmarks people take photos of.

The Gothic House on Spring Street is the best known. Built in 1845. When demolition threatened it in the 1970s, people did not let it die. They lifted the whole thing and rolled it across the road.

41 Veranda Street in East Deering, built around 1850, The most defining feature is the hood molding over the windows, a shallow, pointed canopy that mimics church arches. The eaves run long and deliberate, and the trim isn’t flat stock lumber. It’s been shaped. Even under siding layers, you can tell someone once worked the wood with intention instead of defaulting to whatever board fit fastest.

My personal favorite is 75 Vaughan Street in the West End. Built in 1859, this is the louder one. It is tall and narrow, stretched upward rather than outward. The front gable is sharp and steep, built to shed snow and indifference at the same time. The corner turret, capped with an eight-sided roof, is pure Gothic drama. Decorative and unnecessary in the best way. The window placement is slightly irregular, which makes it feel drawn by hand rather than drafted. The bargeboard along the roofline still holds its cut cleanly. No vinyl has buried it. It is not trying to fit in. It is holding its form.

What I love about Portland is that even its practical buildings have personality. These Gothic houses simply take it one step further. They are proof that durability and drama can live in the same frame.

So here is my suggestion this week. Take a different kind of walk. Spring. Veranda. Vaughan. Look at the trim. Look at the sharp lines. Picture someone standing there 150 years ago, cutting every curve by hand, not because it was faster, but because it was gorgeous.

If you find another one I missed, send it my way. I want to see them all.

And hey, if looking at houses like this makes you want one of your own, I can help with that part too. Whether you’re buying or selling in Greater Portland, email me at [email protected]. I’d love to help!

Should I do more deep dives like this on Portland architecture? 🏛️

THIS WEEKS CONDITIONS
☀️ SUNRISE: 6:46 AM
🌅 SUNSET: 6:11 PM
🛳 TOURIST LEVEL: Swarmed (~17K est. cruise passengers ashore this week)
☁️ AIR QUALITY: Good
🌊 SEA TEMP: 60°F (Casco Bay)
🍁 FOLIAGE WATCH: Moderate: 30-50%

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

What’s your favorite hiking trail in Maine? Could be a quick seaside loop or a brutal climb you only recommend to people you secretly want to humble. I want the good ones.

Where do you go when you need trees, salt air, or a reminder that your legs still work?

Where do you hike when you actually leave Portland? 🥾🌲

🐾 Adoptable Buddies of the Week! 🐾

🐶 Buddy – 13 yrs
Silver fox pug mix. Deaf. Professional napper. Loves other dogs. He is available for pre-adoption while he waits for a dental tune up. You just need personal health insurance to claim him. Perfect for someone who wants a calm little potato snoring beside them.

🐱 Lego – 10 yrs
Shelter nickname is Lego My Eggo. Classic cat energy. Chill. Affectionate when it counts. He appears the second you open a snack. He is diabetic but very easy with meds. Basically pure vibes.

🐹 Lunar – 4 yrs
Guinea pig with confidence. Loves stuffed animals. Loves sunbathing. Loves squeaking for attention. Staff favorite. Twenty dollars to own a tiny king.

🐕 Interested? Check them out here