Kennebunkport Historic District

The Kennebunkport Historic District is a neighborhood with roughly 150 buildings spread across hillsides and along the river, displaying architectural styles from the Colonial, Federal, and Greek Revival periods. The houses range from modest worker cottages to large mansions, built from wood or brick, with many facing the river or tucked into quiet streets.

The neighborhood developed in the late 1700s when wealthy shipbuilders and merchants constructed homes here and made the town a major port center. In the 20th century, it was officially designated as a historic district to preserve its architectural past.

The streets preserve the character of a working port town, where families once lived in homes tied directly to shipbuilding trades and maritime commerce. Walking through, you sense how closely the community was bound to the river and the vessels that defined daily life.

The area is easy to explore on foot, with most significant buildings within a short walk of each other. It is wise to arrive early in the day, especially on nice weekends, to enjoy the quieter streets and find parking more easily.

Remarkably, the majority of the houses were built before 1925, making the district an unusually authentic window into early American port architecture. This high concentration of unchanged structures is rare in many modern neighborhoods.