History of 149 Western Promenade

A Brief History of 149 Western Promenade by Ruth Story, House Historian

The year was 1920. For Americans the Great War was over and a new era of prosperity lay ahead.   For John C. Hamlen,  related to the illustrious Hannibal Hamlin family,  it was the right time to build a new home on the desirable Western Promenade of Portland. To that end Mr. Hamlin engaged the prominent local architect John P. Thomas (1880-1944).  For the Hamlen family, Thomas designed a stone and slate Tudor style house, newly fashionable in the United States and a departure from the popular Colonial Revival and Shingle style homes of the West End. His design included spacious living rooms, a servants’ wing, and an apartment for the chauffeur above the two-car garage.  The home remained in the Hamlen family for over 70 years with few structural changes.  The present owners, Ed Gardner and Steve DiMuccio, are pleased to offer the Hamlen house as this year’s Portland Symphony Orchestra Designer Show House, featuring seventeen of the area’s top interior designers delighted to display their design skills in this distinctive historic home.