Real Estate Building
Why it's listed
Downtown Bangor at the northwest corner of Main and Market Streets is the site of this five-story masonry building, erected between 1905 and 1907 on a trapezoidal plot that follows the angle of the intersection. Its east and south facades, the most ornate on the building, combine Italianate and Georgian Revival features, including stone quoins, steel bay windows, and a modillioned cornice at the fifth floor. Built for David S. Huddleson, an Irish immigrant who had earlier run a grocery store, it held the area's largest department store on the lower floors, with apartments above. The department store drew customers from throughout the Slate Belt Region until 1938. The building is significant for its architectural style and its mixed commercial and residential use, which was rare for Bangor at the time. It was one of only two early high rise buildings in the town designed for that purpose, and it reflects the growth that followed the slate industry's expansion. A rear brick and frame addition extends to the west.
Significance in brief: The building is argued to reflect Bangor's emergence as a commercial center of the Slate Belt during the slate industry boom. It is one of only two early high rise buildings in Bangor designed for mixed commercial and residential use, and its Italianate and Georgian Revival design is considerably more ornate than contemporary local buildings. It is also tied to David S. Huddleson, who built it to house a large department store and apartments.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86000319, listed February 20, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2--8 N. Main St., Bangor |
|---|---|
| County | Northampton County |
| Listed | February 20, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000319 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1905-1907 |
| Architectural style | Italianate and Georgian Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Altered; first-floor facades have corrugated metal banding and a boarded display window, and the interior has been drastically altered. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.86708, -75.20515 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86000319.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7300901
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.