FIRM HISTORY . . .
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Back Bay at Sunset, Portland, Maine
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THE BENNETT LAW FIRM, P.A., was founded over forty
years ago by its namesake, Herbert H. Bennett, a well known
and nationally prominent trial lawyer whose practice focused
on representing management on issues of labor and employment
law. Throughout the years, the firm has remained relatively
small by design and it continues to provide highly specialized
legal services to a broad client base. Although the
firm is located in Portland, Maine, the firm's client base
stretches throughout New England.
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Herbert H. Bennett, Esquire
(1928 - 1992) |
THE
BENNETT LAW FIRM, P.A. is a Charter Member of the
International Society of Primerus Law Firms. Induction
into the Primerus Society means that our firm was selected
as one of the very best boutique law firms in the country.
We are also the first New England law firm invited to
join the Primerus Society.
In
our increasingly litigious society, The Bennett Law Firm,
P.A. offers experienced legal guidance in aggressively
avoiding unionization and is also at the forefront in
developing preventative policies and procedures, training,
avoiding and if necessary, resolving employment disputes
(including alternative dispute resolution), negotiating
collective bargaining agreements and defending litigation
arising from employment disputes.
In
addition to the firm's labor, employment and taxation
practices, it handles commercial, civil, environmental
and banking litigation. The firm's commercial practice
focuses on resolving the complex legal matters that confront
both businesses and individuals daily.
The
firm’s lawyers have depth and experience in labor law
and civil litigation in front of all forums including
state and federal courts and administrative agencies such
as the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, the Maine Human Rights Commission,
the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, the Massachusetts
Commission Against Discrimination and the Department of
Labor. All attorneys are members of several bar
associations, and are active in the community and continuing
education programs.
The
firm prides itself on the long lasting, ongoing relationships
which it maintains with its clients, both large and small.
The firm’s clients appreciate our philosophy and
hands on aggressive approach, which has helped build and
maintain many long-term relationships. The best evidence
of a job well done is a satisfied client -- the cornerstone
of our practice.
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THE
THOMPSON BLOCK
117-125 Middle Street
Portland, Maine
| The Thompson Block was built on two parcels of land after
the great fire of 1866 for Mrs. Hannah E. Thompson, of Lowell,
Massachusetts. She purchased the land from John E. Donnell
and Mary Ann Gerish at a total cost of $13,175.00 and then
commissioned George M. Harding, a prominent mid-nineteenth
century Portland Architect, to design the building.
He also designed The Woodman Building (now called Cook,
Everett and Pennell Building), at 113-141 Middle Street
and the Rackliffe Building at 127-131 Middle Street. Together
these structures have been called the "most high-styled
complex of Victorian commercial buildings ever erected in
the State of Maine."
Intricate styles and materials were used to construct
the exterior facade of the Thompson Block. This design
brought it to the attention of the public and prompted
its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
The following description appeared on the form used to
nominate the Thompson Block for entry into the National
Register in October of 1972:
| "It is four stories high with the fourth story
enclosed in a mansard roof, in the Second Empire
or Mansard style. The first floor of the facade
on the building is of iron, cast in Portland.
The rest of the building is brick with freestone
trim in two colors. The foundation is granite. The
roof is gray slate, except on the facade where it
is in bands of red and gray slate. The building
is a trapezoid, its sides determined by the streets
which form the block it occupies. It is eighty-five
feet wide in front and ninety-five feet wide in
the rear, and about eighty-five feet along the side.
The facade of the Thompson Block is complicated.
The first floor is a continuous arcade of cast
iron supporting an iron entablature which originally
served as the location for store names. Six bays
of the arcade are recessed glass doors; the remaining
six have full-length windows. On the second floor
are six pairs of double arched windows.
On the third floor are four single windows and
two paired windows with elaborate freestone arches
and the same rustication. On the fourth floor
are six dormer windows with circular hoods. A
double freestone string course divides the facade
at the third level.
The facade is treated as two corner towers of
one bay each (the facade wraps around the sides
of the building for one bay to complete these
towers) and a wider center tower of two bays with
single base between. Bands of rustication in the
two tones of freestone make the vertical divisions
delineating the towers. The three towers have
elaborate overhanging cornices with freestone
brackets. The mansard roofs of the towers are
edged and project slightly. Those of the corner
towers have bracketed cornices and were originally
topped by iron work grills, giving them greater
emphasis at the top.
The bays between the towers are also treated
as vertical elements. The paired windows at the
third floor as well as the second make the bays
act as units. The plane of brick continues up
to and around the fourth floor dormer windows,
unbroken by a cornice.
A description contemporary with the Thompson
Block talks about the ornamentation of the building,
most of which is visible today; each ornament
was cut to represent part of an oak tree, as an
indication of strength. The triangular inserts
above the third floor double windows are carved
with oak leaves and acorns. The carved patterns
which alternate on the rustication blocks are
made up of oak leaves. At the center of the third
floor is a scroll which says "Thompson Bldg. 1867".
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It is important to note the mention of the first floor cast
iron front. A letter dated January, 1972, from Charlton
S. Smith, President of Landmarks, Inc. to Arthur C. Charles,
Chairman, Cumberland County Commissioners, stated "The magnificent
cast iron fronts were probably made at the Portland Company
and are highly significant in the history of Portland's
commercial architecture."
An excerpt, from Portland and Vicinity, published
in 1876, best describes the chief business use of most
of the buildings located in the vicinity of the Thompson
Block: "continuing down Middle Street, below Exchange,
we enter the region of wholesale dry-goods, clothing,
hardware, crockery, and druggist warehouses, built since
the fire of 1866, previous to which time trade had made
but very few encroachments upon the old family estates
in this direction."
Noting some of the previous tenants, as ascertained from
back issues of Portland City Directories, the Thompson
Block, however, had its share of other uses, such as printing
companies, manufacturers, and publishers. The building
also saw occupancy, at different times, by both the Salvation
Army and Portland Goodwill Industries, Inc. Frequently
listed beside the street numbers assigned to the building
is 'vacant. Periods of substantial vacancy noted
were 1884-1889, 1940-1946 (World War II probably accounts
for this) and 1954-1964. Obviously, with the publishing
of the City Directory on an annual basis, many tenants
could have occupied the building for short periods of
time without having been listed. Also, warehousing and
storage uses could have occupied upper floors without
being listed. It is evident that several Portland businesses
having show rooms or stores further up Middle Street or
on Congress Street did use the Thompson Block for wholesale
distribution or warehousing. This seems ironic since the
Thompson Block probably was more magnificent in its day
then some of the retail buildings it provided storage
for. The vacancy rate issue could explain why the building
was never properly maintained. A building with such intricate
exterior woodwork certainly requires regular painting
and repair. A visual inspection of the building a while
ago clearly showed that it had been decades since maintenance
had been performed.
We are proud to have played our part in bring this historic
landmark back to the condition which it deserves.
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