Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-02-08

the building record. This Is the house
of G. Fred Terry, an old one relnodeled
and made practically new. The chang
es in this were completed, last sum-
mer. and it is now also one of the fin
est residences in the city, having a
peculiar charm of its own. Mr.. Terry
expended a large sum in getting the
buildings just as he wanted them.
Ore feature of the building of the
past season which does not appear fully
in the record is the changes that have
been made on old business blocks.
| These have ranged in cost from $1,000
down to 500 or less and the total is a.
tidy sum. This money has been ex-
pended in making business places more
attractive and modern. Improved and
enlarged fronts have been placed in
several Of the stores. The change in
the Thayer block made by the Clukey &,
Libby Co. is the largest item in this
class and that has been placed in the
| list This was the practical remodel
| ling Of the block on the inside and the
| cost was sufficient to build a pretty fair
block.
Waterville now has very attractive
business street and these constant
They have been made on the brick
| blocks or better class of wooden ones as
there is growing disposition to replace
the older blocks with more modern
| ones OF brick and stone. So this is
another very pleasing feature of the
building record. Then too there has
been much of change and Improvement
in progress among the residences, not
ell Of which is recorded.
Then there is one building operation
| that does not exactly come in Water
| ville's record but one in which she is
much interested, financially aswell as in
other ways. This is the little narrow
gauge railroad which is steadily push
| ing its way from Weeks Mills to this
city on it's way to Pennington. The
rails will shortly be laid as far as
Winslow where the little road will
probably rest while before continuing
| its journey. But the way has been
blaized and eventually it will be over
the river into the city and away again
towards its destination. Waterviile
will reap a rich harvest from this and
perhaps no building operation of the
past year is Of more Importance than
this. The station buildings at Wins
low are now we'll along and the work of
laying the rails is being pushed ahead
as rapidly as possible.
When you mention building at the
present time the average Waterville
citizen pricks up his ears and says, "On
yes, the new city building. Coming
along nicely. thank you, and it's going
to be a dandy The history of this
/ I< IA, an 4,
State for it has been worked out from
court to court up to the law court.
When the first plans We're made years
ago they were for little less than a
palace. So magnificent was the pros
pect that certain of the taxpayers be-
came frightened and clogged the
wheels. The foundation had just been
| completed at that time at heavy ex-
pense hut all work ceased. The 1un,-
| Der on hand was stored and the granite
of the cellar walls was left to fight it
out alone and unprotected with the
elements.
The terrible legal snarl was painfully
untangled in the courts and when it
was over the spirit for fight was about
exhausted so a protocol was tacitly
admitted. The friends Of the new
building rested from their labors for a
while and it looked as if the new city
building had passed into history for
good and all.
But strenuous efforts were made from
time to time by the friends of the
movement, the board of trade among
the most active. Numerous mass
meetings We're held until finally the
opinion of the citizens became chrystal-
lied and the city decided that it wanted
a city building and wanted it very
badly. But still the work was post
poned. The various city governments
that were besieged by delegations from
citizens meetings from time to time
and year to year seemed to lack the
courage for taking up the long neglect
ed work. Tt was long hard struggle
but finally the friends of the building
were triumphant.
The present city government is q
mixture of the parties and a citizens
movement which seemed to have been
concocted in the right proportions for
building something. But when they be-
gan to talk of building there was more
trouble. The friends of the new high
school building and various other school