Bray House (Kittery Point, Maine)

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Bray House
Old Bray House, Kittery Point, ME.jpg
Bray House (Kittery Point, Maine) is located in Maine
Bray House (Kittery Point, Maine)
LocationPepperell Rd., Kittery Point, Maine
Coordinates43°4′58″N 70°42′10″W / 43.08278°N 70.70278°W / 43.08278; -70.70278Coordinates: 43°4′58″N 70°42′10″W / 43.08278°N 70.70278°W / 43.08278; -70.70278
Arealess than one acre
Builtca. 1720–1740
ArchitectBray, John
NRHP reference No.79000271[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 09, 1979

The Bray House is a historic house at 100 Pepperell Road in Kittery Point, Maine, United States. It is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the state. Long thought to be a 17th-century structure, the architectural evidence indicates the home was probably not built before 1720.[2] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[2]

History[]

The Bray House is set on the south side of Pepperell Road (Maine State Route 103), on a site overlooking the mouth of the Piscataqua River. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame residential structure, whose main block is five bays wide, with a side-gable roof, large central chimney, clapboard siding, and granite foundation. The entrance, centered on the river-facing south facade, is flanked by sidelight windows and pilasters and topped by an entablature. A former two-story extension to the east added two bays, and a narrow connecting segment joined the main house to a second 2+1⁄2-story house, oriented perpendicular to the main block, that was moved to this property in the early 20th century.[2] All but the original central structure were demolished in 2017.

While this location is known to be the place where John Bray built a house in about 1662, the construction methods and styling of the house are consistent with a mid-18th century construction date.

Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates fame purchased the house at auction in 2008 and undertook a partial restoration.[3] He sold the restored property for $2.0 million; the new owners have demolished all but the original structure, which is now flanked by modernist angular new construction.

Original Bray home on far left (c. 2014)

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "NRHP nomination for Bray House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  3. ^ Forrest, Rachel (2008-02-27). "Rocker restores historic Kittery, Maine home". The Portsmouth Herald. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
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