Western Promenade Historic District, Historic residential district in West End, Portland, United States.
The Western Promenade Historic District is a residential neighborhood in Portland's West End containing roughly 420 buildings built between 1850 and 1920. These homes line and surround an 18-acre public park with walking paths that form the heart of the district.
The district began developing after 1836 when the city acquired land at the western escarpment and industrialist John Bundy Brown later built homes there. His sugar company operations fueled local prosperity and attracted other successful businessmen to settle in the area.
The district reflects the work of three prominent architects whose mansions defined local taste during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Their houses showcase different architectural styles that visitors can see and study while walking through the residential streets.
The neighborhood is easy to explore on foot since most homes line streets like Bramhall, Brackett, Clark, and Emery. The public park with its pathways offers a pleasant place to walk and orient yourself while visiting.
From its hilltop location, visitors can see New Hampshire's White Mountains in the distance, giving the district a special outlook. The renowned landscape designer John C. Olmsted laid out the park paths in 1905 to make the most of these distant views.
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