The founders of Downtown Farmington – over 225-years ago – were among the more farsighted of any town in New England!
We have two-way traffic and street parking in the historic downtown, a rarity in the modern world. That's due to the setback of our buildings from the main streets of the community, enabling easy navigation and free parking. It's a feat not frequently achieved in most New England towns the size of Farmington and something that contributes to both the historic as well as practical ambience of our unique neighborhood.
History buffs will appreciate the Classic designs of our historic architecture. One example: The former Holman Office building (now State Farm Insurance) was modeled in l923 after the Philadelphia office of Benjamin Franklin, for whom the county was named.
In the l980's famed Camden architect Chris Glass, supervised the restoration of many other building facades in the downtown neighborhood. His accomplished designs are expressed in the structures which are now home to Tranten's, the Dugout Bar and Grill and Cullenberg Law Offices, and the Broadway portion of the Liquid Sunshine/Mills Office block.
(Contributed by Paul Mills, of Mills and Mills). For more information on Farmington's History visit Farmington's section on the Maine Memory Network.