To spot the Second Callahan Block, look for the striking four-story building with a yellow brick facade and a bold, gabled cornice, just east along Lisbon Street between Chestnut and Spruce-it's the one that stands out with its arched windows up top and neat rows of rectangular ones below.
Ah, welcome to one of Lewiston’s classiest addresses-at least, it sure was in 1909! Picture this street bustling over a hundred years ago: horses clopping by, shopkeepers sweeping their stoops, and smartly dressed men window-shopping for new hats or ties. Right in front of you stands the Second Callahan Block, built by the ambitious Callahan brothers, Timothy and Eugene, who thought, “Why own one grand building when you can have two?” They’d already made a splash with their first creation just next door, and in true sibling fashion, decided to up the ante with an even bigger one-this very spot, brimming with bright yellow brick and showy keystoned windows. Designed by the famous local firm Coombs & Gibbs, the building once bustled with shops and shoppers on the ground floor, while the upper stories kept a watchful eye through their arch-topped windows. Back in the day, businessmen might have argued over prices while mothers eyed fancy wares through the glass. Time has turned these old storefronts into homes-but standing here, you can almost hear the echoes of deals, dreams, and the occasional brotherly squabble. Isn’t that a block worth stopping to imagine?
