They Were Superior Buildings / Des bâtiments pittoresques
The Museum in the Streets
By 1858 Water Street had been transformed from a wilderness into a bustling business district featuring many fine commercial brick and wooden buildings. That year a pioneer photographer, Simon Wing of Waterville, took two stereo views of this transformation. These are the earliest photographs of the Capital City. The west side view of the street (left photo) shows The Granite Bank, Hunt's Block, the five-story Stanley House, and Arch Row. The east side (right photo) presents Meonian Hall, North's Block, and Branch's brick store with its gable to the streets on the corner of Bridge and Water streets. Beyond Bridge Street is a large brick edifice, Darby's Block, and beyond it is the Union Block. All the buildings pictured except Union Block were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1865.
Dès 1858, Water Street avait transformé cette zone sauvage en un quartier d'affaires animé, bordé de nombreux immeubles pittoresques en briques et bois. Cette année-là, un pionnier de la photographie, Simon Wing de Waterville, prit deux vues panoramiques de cette transformation. Ce sont les premières photographies de la capitale. La photo de l'Ouest de la rue montre Granite Bank, Hunt's Block, Stanley House avec ses cinq étages, et Arch Row. À l'Est, on voit Meonian Hall, North's Block et le magasin en