Established | 1936 |
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Location | 117 Main Street, Kennebunk, Maine 04043 |
Founder | Edith Cleaves Barry |
Website | www.brickstoremuseum.org |
The Brick Store Museum, located at 117 Main Street in the town of Kennebunk, Maine, is one of only a few museums that opened during the Great Depression in the United States. It focuses on preserving the heritage of the Kennebunks through its collections, preservation, interpretation, and exhibition of its material culture.[1] As a history and art center in Southern Maine, the museum's collections include objects ranging from 19th-century paintings to shipbuilding tools, from 18th-century clothing to contemporary art. It is located in the heart of the Kennebunk Historic District, occupying 18,000 square feet of space in several buildings on Main Street.
The Brick Store Museum's buildings comprise the oldest commercial block in Kennebunk, with structures dating from 1810 to 1860. Prior to becoming part of the museum, these buildings housed the town's first library, a telegraph office, a furniture store, a grocery store, Water District offices, an auto supply store, apartments, a general store, and a fraternal lodge.[2]