Right in front of you is a grand white house with four tall columns and wrought iron railings, set just behind some leafy trees at the corner of Penobscot and Pine Streets-look for the twin doors marked 48 and 50 to know you’ve found the spot.
Now, picture this: it’s the 1830s, and Bangor is bursting with lumber barons showing off their fancy new homes. Among them, the Jonas Cutting-Edward Kent House stands out as a true show-off, all decked out in Greek Revival style as if it’s trying to win the “Best Dressed House” award. Built as a duplex, the house was home to two friends-and you could say, friendly rivals: Edward Kent, who would go on to become Maine’s governor (twice, mind you), and Jonas Cutting, destined for a seat on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
As you stand here, gaze up at those Doric columns. The details are not just for show: the first-floor columns are fluted and crowned with carved wreaths, and the ornate iron railings seem to hint at secret conversations and important visitors. If you listen closely, you might almost hear the sound of boots clattering up those stone steps after an afternoon in court or council.
The best part? This house wasn’t just meant to impress-its Greek Revival style was so sophisticated that it’s believed to be unique in all New England. Even the rounded window bays and the dentillated cornice line shout, “We belong to the city’s elite!” And just imagine the laughter and debates echoing here when Kent and Cutting lived side by side-one making laws, the other interpreting them.
Eventually, newer additions were tacked onto the back, but the front keeps all its original flair, still making everyone who passes by wonder what kind of grand stories unfolded behind those doors. In 1973, the world agreed: this place was important enough to protect forever. So snap a picture or two-it isn’t every day you meet a house that might out-brag you!
