Portland, Maine Monument Square Circa 1960 Poster

The Portland Soldiers and Sailors Monument Association's "Our Lady of Victories", seen here circa 1960, was dedicated at Monument (formerly Market) Square on October 28, 1891 and honors "those brave men of Portland, soldiers of the United States army and sailors of the navy of the United States, who died in defense of the country in the late civil war". It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 1, 1998. The bronze sculptures were created by Portland native Franklin Simmons, at his studio in Rome, Italy, and the granite base was designed by Richard Morris Hunt of New York. The old City Hall stood on this spot until 1887, built as the Market House in 1825. To the right was the Edwards & Walker Hardware Co, originally built as the Washington Hall hotel in 1803, later named the Portland House and the Cumberland House. By 1840, it was named the United States Hotel, and received President James K Polk in 1846. It was remodeled in the early 1870s when a fifth floor was added, and closed in 1900; Edwards & Walker Hardware Co moved in two years later. It was sold to Casco Bank in 1965 (as seen here), which replaced it in 1970 with a ten-story office building, One Monument Square. The Clapp Block (now the location of the Portland Public Library) and Clapp Memorial Building stand to the left on either side of Elm Street.