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Portland Maine
Friday, September 25, 1998
(Updated October 1)

Flames take Stevens Tavern before wrecking ball. Already defaced of historic value by the previous owners, the building mysteriously burns before it's demolished by the city. by John Alphonse

The 1767 Stevens Tavern, at 628 Stevens Avenue, is shown here after an August 9 fire.

Although no date has been set, the City of Portland's plans to purchase and demolish the 231-year-old structure to create further burial grounds in Evergreen Cemetery remain on course. The process has been delayed as the cause of the fire was under investigation. Historic preservationists lost the fight to save the Revolutionary War-era tavern and public house long ago. When city officials hedged on the selling price in 1994, the building was scoffed up at a low rate by a private individual who destroyed its historic character during renovation.

Stevens Tavern before the previous owners destroyed its facade.

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