Before the Portland Public Library was constructed next to Monument Square, the site was home to the Clapp Building, originally built in the 1860s. Over the years, the building underwent several name changes, including the Cumberland County Power and Light Building and, later, the Novick Building. It was ultimately demolished in the late 1970s to make way for the new library, which opened in 1979. The throwback photo accompanying this piece was taken outside A.H. Benoit & Company department store, a historic location that has since been transformed into a mixed-use building housing shops and eateries.
