Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse
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U.S. Courthouse
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Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse
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| Location | 156 Federal St., Portland, Maine |
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| Coordinates | 43°39′31″N 70°15′42″W / 43.65861°N 70.26167°WCoordinates: 43°39′31″N 70°15′42″W / 43.65861°N 70.26167°W |
| Area | 0.7 acres (0.28 ha) |
| Built | 1908 |
| Architect | James Knox Taylor |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival |
| Part of | Portland Waterfront (#74000353) |
| NRHP reference # | 74000168 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 12, 1974 |
| Designated CP | May 2, 1974 |
The Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse is a historic courthouse building at 156 Federal Street in Portland, Maine. It is the courthouse for the United States District Court for the District of Maine.
When it was completed in 1911, the U.S. Courthouse in Portland, now known as the Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse, was the first federal courthouse in Maine. Its national stature combined with its distinctive Italian Renaissance Revival architecture brought prestige to Portland's civic center. Designed by James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, the courthouse's classical details complement its neighbors surrounding Lincoln Park, which include the U.S. Custom House (1872), Cumberland County Courthouse (1910), and Portland City Hall (1912). The U.S. Courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Construction of the U.S. Post Office Building near Lincoln Park in 1868 helped establish the area as a location for public buildings at the turn of the twentieth century. By 1908, the federal government had acquired a prominent site for a new courthouse adjacent to the park, and construction began that year. Knox designed a trapezoidal building with an interior courtyard to be constructed in two phases. The U-shaped first phase of construction was completed in 1911. In 1931-32, Knox's original design was completed, closing the U, under the direction of the Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore. The new construction provided space for a post office and additional offices on the upper floors.
In 1988, the U.S. Courthouse was renamed in honor of Judge Edward T. Gignoux, a veteran of 26 years on the bench, who had gained notoriety when he presided over the contempt trial of activists who attempted to disrupt the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968.
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