The former Schlotterbeck and Foss building is located on the north side of Portland's downtown area, at the southeast corner of Preble and Kennebec Streets. The building is a five-story masonry structure, with a concrete frame and an exterior of buff brick with cast stone. The ground floor is finished in cast stone, while the upper floors are primarily brick with stone trim. The central three bays project slightly, and the main entrance at its base is sheltered by a metal canopy supported by chains. The building corners also project in the manner of pilasters, and have decorative Art Deco details in the top level. Its facade is topped by a low parapet with stepped caps at the corners.[2]
Arthur Schlotterbeck, a German immigrant, established a pharmacy in Portland in 1866. In 1887 he was joined by Charles Foss, a Maine native, and the two embarked on the production of patent medicines, which were primarily marketed as remedies for a variety of female health issues. In 1892 they branched out into the production of flavored extracts for cooking. This build was designed for them by John Calvin Stevens and his son John Howard Stevens, and was completed in 1927. It is a rare surviving industrial design by the elder Stevens, and is the only known Art Deco design by the team. Its interior, designed for the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of the company's products, is also rare as a significantly unaltered example of period factory architecture, both inside and out.[2]
