Next spring, the Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgton is set to move downtown to the John and Maria Webb House, a white Federal and Greek Revival structure built in the 1820s.
The 10-year-old museum, which celebrates the extraordinary life of 19th-century artist, musician, teacher and inventor Rufus Porter by featuring his wall murals and miniature portraits, is presently located in a small red Cape house a mile away at 67 North High St. Museum officials say the move to 121 Main St. could increase its profile.
“[Route] 302 is fast and they can go by our building now without hardly knowing it’s there,” said Donald Eilerton, a member of the museum’s board of trustees. “We hope it increases membership and attendance.”
The move is scheduled to take place during a five-year period, according to John Michalowski Jr., the museum’s director, with a three-building campus set to open on Main Street in 2020. The first phase, set for completion next spring, involves the renovation of the Webb House, the last remaining 19th century home on Main Street. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The museum will move into the Webb House next year.
During Phase II, museum officials will move the North High Street house to the new Main Street campus. Finally, the museum will build a new barn-style gallery on the Main Street property. The three buildings will eventually be connected by a glass vestibule.
Apart from the superior location, museum officials say the new campus on Main Street will provide additional exhibition space for a variety of murals that are now in storage due to space limitations. The museum’s collection also includes wall murals composed by John Avery and Porter’s nephew, Jonathan D. Poor. In 2011, Glenn and Norma Haine donated to the museum Poor’s large wall murals that he painted in the Dr. James Norton house in East Baldwin. The wall murals, which are up to 18 feet in height, are too big to fit in the North Street house, and will be placed in the new barn gallery, Michalowski said. Museum officials also plan to use the new space on the campus for classrooms and programming.
“Our collection is growing, and the opportunities to provide new experiences for our patrons and for visitors to Bridgton keep increasing,” he said. “We want to bring the museum together and create a cultural event when people visit us.”
John Webb was a Bridgton blacksmith and farmer who married Maria Dillingham. The Webbs owned a firm on Highland Ridge, but moved to Main Street when John Webb opened a blacksmith shop on Main Street. They lived across the street. As his business succeeded, the Webbs added Greek Revival elements to their Federal-style home. The Webb House has also been used as a beauty salon, a dentistry, and most recently, apartments.
“The Webb House represents the typical 19th century community that integrated industry and domesticity to create a robust town center,” reads a description on the museum’s website. “The Webb House is the last remaining house of this era on Main Street. The museum’s goal is to restore it to its former dignity, reflecting the successful revitalization of downtown Bridgton today, and as a prototype for the town to realize the importance of preserving historical buildings.”
Bridgton Planning, Economic and Community Development Director Anne Krieg said the museum’s move to Main Street would boost efforts to revitalize the downtown.
“We’re thrilled because part of our work in revitalizing the downtown is to create anchors in the downtown to give a variety of uses and activities in the downtown,” she said. “Having a museum in the downtown really creates a wonderful anchor for events.”
Rufus Porter Museum Executive Director John Michalowski Jr. displays plans to create a new campus for the museum at the John and Maria Webb House on 121 Main St. in Bridgton, seen in the background. The museum is presently located in a small red Cape house a mile away at 67 North High St.Staff photo by Ezra Silk
Rufus Porter Museum Board of Trustee Donald Eilerton and Executive Director John Michalowski Jr. display their plans to create a new campus for the museum.Staff photo by Ezra Silk
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