George M. Harding

{{short description|American architect}}

{{about||the war artist of World War I and architect|George Matthews Harding|the architect of Pittsfield, Massachusetts|George C. Harding}} {{Infobox architect |name = George Milford Harding |image = |image_size = |caption = |birth_date = 1827 |birth_place = Chatham, Massachusetts |death_date = 1910 |death_place = |practice = Silloway & Harding; George M. Harding |significant_buildings= |significant_projects = |significant_design = |awards = }} [[File:Downtown Portland 6.JPG|right|thumb|260px|Thompson Block, Portland, 1867.]]

'''George Milford Harding''' (1827–1910) was an American architect who practiced in nineteenth-century Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

==Life and career== left|thumb|240px|Advertisement for Harding, 1873. Harding was born in 1827 in Chatham, Massachusetts. At the age of 17 he began his studies at the Lowell Institute in Boston, probably working in the office of a local architect as well.<ref name="Union">''Union School NRHP Nomination''. 1993.</ref>

In 1851, Harding established a partnership with Thomas W. Silloway. Silloway & Harding was dissolved by April, 1853, and both established private offices. Harding soon set his sights on northern New England, and was practicing in Concord, New Hampshire by 1854.<ref name="Concord">Nathaniel Bouton, ''The History of Concord''. 1856.</ref> By 1856 he was in Manchester.<ref>''Transactions of the New Hampshire State Agricultural Society for the Year 1856''. 1857.</ref> In 1858, he moved to Portland, Maine.<ref name="Union"/> It would also appear that for a time in the late 1860s he was employed as State Architect, and worked on a proposal for an expansion of the State House.<ref>''Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Maine''. Augusta, ME: Sprague, Owen & Nash, 1869.</ref> He remained there until 1873, when he returned to Boston, though he continued to receive commissions to design buildings in Maine.

In the 1880s he relocated his office to Hyde Park, which was annexed to Boston in 1912.

==Legacy== Harding was one of several architects to rebuild important sections of downtown Portland after the fire of 1866. However, most of his work was made up of private residences and a large number of school buildings.

He was the teacher of several other architects, including Henry M. Francis of Fitchburg, Massachusetts<ref>Fitchburg Historical Society. ''Legendary Locals of Fitchburg, Massachusetts''. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2014.</ref> and Charles H. Kimball, also of Portland.<ref>Pancoast, John E. [http://themarbleblock.org/about/ "About"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030013052/http://themarbleblock.org/about/ |date=2016-10-30 }}. ''http://themarbleblock.org/''. n.d. Web.</ref>

A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

thumb ==Architectural works== {| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" ! Year !! Building !! Address !! City !! State !! Notes !! Image !! Reference |- | 1854 || Benjamin Grover House || 35 Pleasant St || Concord || {{nowrap|New Hampshire}} || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Concord"/> |- | 1857 || First Universalist Church || 30 High St || Danvers || Massachusetts || Remodeled in 1925 into the Masonic Temple, Little & Browne, architects.<ref>''Engineering News-Record'' 1925: 96. New York.</ref> || <!--Image--> || <ref>''Historical Collections of the Danvers Historical Society'' 1914: 29.</ref> |- | 1858 || James L. Merrill House || 310 Spring St || Portland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Western">''Western Promenade Historic District NRHP Nomination''. 1984.</ref> |- | 1862 || Joseph Drowne Houses || 36-38 State St || Portland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref>''Environmental Impact Statement: SR-77 Fore River Bridge Replacement, Portland to South Portland, Cumberland County, Maine''. 1987.</ref> |- | 1863 || Morrill's Corner School || 808 Stevens Ave || Portland || Maine || Originally in Westbrook, then Deering. || <!--Image--> || <ref>''Tenth Annual Report of the Superintendent of Common Schools of the State of Maine''. Augusta, ME: Stevens & Sayward, Dec. 1863.</ref> |- | 1863 || Portland High School || 284 Cumberland Ave || Portland || Maine || The original building has been obscured by later additions. || <!--Image--> || <ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset?assetID=0470d4a9-8785-473d-8886-3cbd641ed8ab Portland High School NRHP Nomination]. 1984.</ref> |- | 1863 || Searsport Union Hall || 1 Union St || Searsport || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref>''Union Hall NRHP Nomination''. 1986.</ref> |- | 1865 || William Allen Jr. House || 9 Deering St || Portland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Deering">''Deering Street Historic District NRHP Nomination''. 1982.</ref> |- | 1865 || First Universalist Church || High St || Portland || Maine || Demolished. || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Rackleff">[https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset?assetID=1a4b8ebb-11c4-4532-80ea-d3dd5ead3915 Rackleff Building NRHP Nomination]. 1973.</ref> |- | 1865 || Frye Grammar School || 140 Ash St || Lewiston || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Union"/> |- | 1865 || Parsonage,<br>Free Will Baptist Church || 51 Ocean House Rd || {{nowrap|Cape Elizabeth}} || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.capeelizabeth.com/government/rules_regs/reports/HS_Descriptions.pdf |title="Historic Structures Survey, Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine". 4 Nov. 1999. |access-date=2016-10-09 |archive-date=2016-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221095217/http://capeelizabeth.com/government/rules_regs/reports/HS_Descriptions.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | 1866 || Bailey & Noyes Block || 56 Exchange St || Portland || Maine || Altered by the addition of several floors. || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Waterfront">''Portland Waterfront NRHP Nomination''. 1974.</ref> |- | 1866 || Searsport Union School || 23 Mount Ephraim Rd || Searsport || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Union"/> |- | 1867 || Boyd Block || 178 Middle St || Portland || Maine || Altered by the addition of a floor. || 100px || <ref name="Waterfront"/> |- | 1867 || {{nowrap|First Parish Congregational Church}} || 116 Main St || Yarmouth || Maine || <!--Notes--> || 100px || <ref name="Church">''First Parish Congregational Church NRHP Nomination''. 1995.</ref> |- | 1867 || India Street Fire Station || 97 India Street || Portland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref>[http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1738/India-Street-Historic-District "India Street Historic District"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010043800/http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1738/India-Street-Historic-District |date=2016-10-10 }}. ''http://www.portlandmaine.gov/''. n.d.</ref> |- | 1867 || Rackleff Building || 129 Middle St || Portland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || 100px || <ref name="Rackleff"/> |- | 1867 || Thompson Block || 121 Middle St || Portland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || 100px || <ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset?assetID=db6f2485-f287-47cb-ab84-bdb9688a7c85 Thompson Block NRHP Nomination]. 1973.</ref> |- | 1867 || Woodman Building || 75 Pearl St || Portland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || 100px || <ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset?assetID=1cc7359e-b840-405a-93ed-fa73687655db Woodman Building NRHP Nomination]. 1972.</ref> |- | 1868 || Greely Institute || 303 Main St || Cumberland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Union"/> |- | 1868 || Houlton Academy || Military St || Houlton || Maine || Later known as Potter Hall, a dormitory. Demolished. || <!--Image--> || <ref>Hall, Edward L. ''History of Higher Education in Maine''. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1903.</ref> |- | 1868 || George M. Harding House || 6 Deering St || Portland || Maine || The architect's own residence. || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Deering"/> |- | 1869 || Israel Washburn House || 385 Spring St || Portland || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Western"/> |- | 1871 || Chapel || {{nowrap|Maine Insane Hospital}} || Augusta || Maine || Demolished. || <!--Image--> || <ref>''Reports of the Trustees and Resident Officers of the Maine Insane Hospital, December 1, 1871''. 1871.</ref> |- | 1871 || Saco High School || 34 Spring St || Saco || Maine || <!--Notes--> || 100px || <ref>''Old Saco High School NRHP Nomination''. 1984.</ref> |- | 1872 || First Universalist Church || Pequawket Tr || Hiram || Maine || <!--Notes--> || <!--Image--> || <ref name="Church"/> |- | 1872 || Norlands Meeting House || 290 Norlands Rd || Livermore || Maine || A remodeling. || <!--Image--> || <ref>[http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/business/dar-awards-grant-for-norlands-meeting-house-steeple-project/ "DAR awards grant for Norlands meeting house steeple Project"]. ''http://www.dailybulldog.com/''. 19 Aug. 2016.</ref> |- | 1873 || Haverhill High School || 33 Winter St || Haverhill || Massachusetts || Demolished. || <!--Image--> || <ref>Bartlett, Albert L. ''The Haverhill Academy and the Haverhill High School, 1827-1890: An Historical Sketch''. Haverhill, MA: Chase Bros., 1890.</ref> |- | 1877 || Masonic Temple || 139 High St || Belfast || Maine || <!--Notes--> || 100px || <ref name="Belfast">''Belfast Commercial Historic District NRHP Nomination''. 1980.</ref> |- | 1878 || Belfast National Bank Building || 108 Main St || Belfast || Maine || <!--Notes--> || 100px || <ref name="Belfast"/> |- | 1879 || Frank Gilkey House|Gilkey House Belfast || 58 Miller St || Belfast || Maine || Gothic Victorian House || <ref>"Gilkey House, 58 Miller St". ''Carriage House''. Web.</ref> || <ref name="Belfast"/> |- | 1881 || Jacob E. Spring House,<br>Porphyry Hall || 72 Summer St || Danvers || Massachusetts || Now the administration building of St. John's Preparatory School. || <!--Image--> || <ref>"Spring, Jacob E. House". ''mhc-macris.net''. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.</ref> |- | 1886 || George M. Harding House || 58 Oak St || Hyde Park || Massachusetts || The architect's own residence. || <!--Image--> || <ref>"Harding, George M. House". ''mhc-macris.net''. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Web.</ref> |- |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, George M.}} Category:1827 births Category:1910 deaths Category:Architects from Boston Category:Architects from New Hampshire Category:Architects from Portland, Maine Category:19th-century American architects Category:People from Chatham, Massachusetts