Charles Quincy Clapp House

Clapp House

Downtown Historic Haunt

Description

A residence built by businessman Charles Clapp in the mid 1800s, the Clapp House is is modeled after a Greek temple and is one of the best examples of Greek revival architecture in the city. Previously housing offices of the Maine College of Art, the title of the house has now been transferred to the Portland Museum of Art. It benefits the museum because it gives the museum a larger footprint and more freedom to consider future expansion as their newly acquired house also includes an adjoining piece of land. The house is an architecturally-beautiful structure to admire, but it is also known as one of the most famous haunted houses in Portland; it is thought to be haunted by Charles' father, Asa Clapp who has come back to watch over his family's household possessions. During the restoration process, the house is closed to the public, but the exterior will not have any scaffolding up, so it will still be worth a look.