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N o v e m b e r 2015 89 House of tHe MontH Colin W. Sargent MeaghanMaurice Supreme Digs The Senator Prentiss Mellen House shines in the heart of historic State Street. D own the hill from the statue of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow now awash in trendy restau- rants and a new crowd wearing beardsis a time capsule all its own. Built in 1838 the Senator Prentiss Mellen House a.k.a. The Deanery or Mellen-Winslow House at 153 State Street cuts a striking im- age just to the north of St. Lukes Cathedral. Does this lady ever have a past. Her original owner Prentiss Mellen 1767-1840 was nothing less than a United States Senator. A 1784 Harvard graduate he was a lawyer by 1788 practicing in his na- tive Sterling Massachusetts Bridgewater and Dover New Hampshire according to the Dictionary of American Biography cit- ing Simon Greenleafs Memoir of the Life and Character of the Late Chief Justice Mel- len. By 1791 hed bounced north to Bidd- eford entering the Portland scene in 1806. He was a presidential elector in 1817 trust- ee of Bowdoin from 1817 to 1836 and was elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Eli P. Ashmun serving from June 5 1818 to May 15 1820. Why Maine had just be- come a state. Hed just been named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Mainethe first. After he resigned in 1834 he commis- sioned a lovely home to be his soft landing. This house. If there were such a thing as a Portland Parthenon of Greek Revival structures this is one of the killers with its shiplap fa- ade and smart shutters in lamp-black. The porch on the left side perpendicular to the street makes a gracious entrance in this ur- ban setting. The front door invites with lovely sidelights. Not to mention its a rare bird. The Deanery hasnt been offered for sale for 135 years says listing agent John Hatcher. So you can be assured its not a flip. Imagine the privacy held intact here since 1880. If youre keeping score the Longfellow mon- ument wasnt built until 1885. Talk about bragging rightsthe Prentiss Mellen House knocked people out here before it was cool. Or more correctly when it was cool before. State Street is a whos who of ship captains stately mansions. There are six bedrooms and three full baths with much of the original mold- ing intact throughout the house accord- ing to Hatcher. The classic woodworking is hypnotically simple on the antique fire- place mantels two major fireplaces on the lower entertainment including an enor- mous kitchen hearth with original bean oven in what was likely the former kitch- en now the dining room with built-in cabi- nets windows and doors. If theres a deco- rative motif its the carved pyramid. Ghosts of other fireplaces some possibly coal are in virtually every other room in various stag- es of discovery some behind radiators. The floors were updated in the 1920s to beautiful hardwood. The kitchen needs and doubt- less will receive a sweeping update by the de- lighted new buyers who fall in love with this 4004-square-foot blank canvas. With a paint job some inexpensive cosmetic touches okay a major restorationand a few under- stated bits of flash in the entertaining spaces like Dead Pearl Diver on loan from the Port- land Museum of Art this will be stunning. Interest well beyond beauty and nostal- gia is generated by the long green rectangle garden that comes with the property and abuts the back parking lot used by St. Lukes Episcopal Church. If this approach can be opened up from that side 153 State Street could really jump in value well beyond the asking price of 529500. Taxes are 7510. n