The University of Southern Maine has plans to demolish five properties located on the Gorham Campus within the next two years, three of which are located in Gorham’s Historic District. Those three properties are located at 7 College Avenue, 19 College Avenue, and 62 School Street.

The house at 7 College Avenue, a Greek revival frame dwelling known as the Johnson family home, was erected in 1856 by Robert Johnson and remained in the Johnson family until the early twentieth century. A number of families have owned the house since then and it currently serves as an office for the TRIO programs at USM, a 92% federally funded student services program.

According to the National Archives, 19 College Avenue “was originally a vestry built in 1830. It was apparently moved to the present location and converted to a parsonage about 1845 when the Methodist Episcopal Church acquired the property. This use was retained until 1881 when the Methodists sold the house” and in 1938 it was acquired by the University of Southern Maine.

It has been used by the USM Applied Energy Program as a lab. The historic home built in the late 19th century “is the ideal structure in which to conduct research and teach students and community members about residential energy use and how to implement effective weatherization programs and other low-cost energy conservation measures on a typical Maine home,” said Daniel Martinez, assistant research professor in the USM Department of Environmental Science.

Although 62 School Street is currently listed as being vacant and slated for demolition this year, it is still listed on the USM Gorham Campus Map as the location for Education Psychology and Exceptionally SMART.

As all three properties are located within the Gorham Historic District and hold significance to the town, approval would be needed prior to any demolition by USM.

According to Noah Miner, chairman of the Gorham Historic Preservation Commission, in a letter to USM, the three structures “are located in the locally designated Gorham Historic District. This designation requires that any structure within the district needs a ‘Certificate of Appropriateness’ from the Gorham Historic Preservation Commission prior to any demolition, moving, or construction.”

“In order for the Commission to approve a certificate, USM would need to show that the three structures are either non-contributing or incompatible with the Historic District in which they are located, or that USM can demonstrate that the structures cannot be renovated or constructed so as to earn an economic return on its value in its present location as determined by a qualified real estate appraiser,” said Miner.

If the Commission votes to deny a certificate of appropriateness, USM can file an appeal to the Town Council within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the Commission’s written notice.

However, according to Nancy Griffin, Chief Operations Officer, “currently, the only building on the Gorham campus that USM is working to demo is 128 School Street. USM is working to demo this building this summer and is working to coordinate this demo with Gorham Fire Department training.”

The building located at 128 School Street is not in the Historic District.