Doughty Block

The Doughty Block stands in Augusta's downtown commercial district, on the east side of Water Street, opposite the Key Plaza just north of Front Street. It is a six-story masonry structure, noticeably taller than the other 19th-century buildings lining the east side of Water Street. It is built out of red brick with stone trim. The front facade is three bays wide, with a modern storefront (c. 1970) on the ground floor. The upper levels are divided by stone stringcourses, emphasizing the building horizontally, and its windows are set in round-arch openings, whose voussoirs alternate between stone and brick. It has a project cornice at the top, studded with a combination of Italianate brackets and modillions.^[2]

The block was built in 1890 for Charles Doughty by Charles Fletcher, a prominent local builder. The building's styling is somewhat retardaire, as the Italianate was out of fashion when it was built. However, the styling of the windows gives it a suggestion of Renaissance style, which was then coming into fashion.^[2]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kennebec County, Maine