Bangor’s Garland Street Castle House is Gone

The Garland Street house that looked like a castle has been torn down, erasing a piece of my own personal history.

Turrets and large, arched windows with stained glass gave the house at the corner of Garland and Palm Streets the appearance of a castle. Once a single-family home, it was eventually turned into an apartment house. It's one of those unique places that you notice every time you pass, prompting curiosity about what it looks like on the inside.

I found out in the early 1990's when my second husband and I moved in there, with my three sons. We had the first floor apartment, on the non-turret end of the house, although the boys' room had that bay window toward the right of the picture. I remember it had a wooden window seat, so I painted the room white, with bright blue enamel baseboards, and painted the seat bright red. It was an adorable kids' room.

We were also fortunate to have the original kitchen, which had more cabinets than I had ever seen in one room, and dark green countertops. It even had a 'murphy ironing board' that folded up into the wall, like one of those murphy beds. A neighbor told us the original owner built the kitchen for his wife, who loved to cook. We loved the windows, the proximity to the Abraham Lincoln School and Garland Street Market, and spent several happy years there.

Over the last many years, I've seen the house deteriorate until, eventually, it was unoccupied. The windows were boarded up or missing, giving it a sad and lonely look.  I've noticed, in recent months, that someone was working on the place, and discussed with my brother recently whether it was being demolished or whether someone was renovating it. We both hoped that someone saw its raw beauty and was restoring it to its former glory. Sadly, I found out today that it's been torn down. Another piece of Bangor's rich architectural and my own personal history gone.

I really wish I'd taken a picture of the house, when we lived there, but mothering three young boys took precedence over photography. In my memory, it's intact, with gleaming stained glass windows and the kitchen of my dreams.