Wedding Cake House, Kennebunk

Name: Wedding Cake House
Address: 105 Summer St, Kennebunk, United States

#1 among attractions in Kennebunk

Top attraction, Architecture

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Facts and practical information

Once called the "most photographed house in the state" of Maine, the Wedding Cake House, known formally as the George W. Bourne House, is a historic house located at 104 Summer Street in Kennebunk, Maine. The home was built in 1825 by shipbuilder George W. Bourne, who later built a frame barn which he connected to the main house with a carriage house. In 1852, the barn caught fire and the carriage house was demolished to keep the fire from spreading to the house. Bourne, who during a European tour had been impressed by the Gothic beauty of the cathedral at Milan, rebuilt the carriage house and barn in what later came to be known as Carpenter Gothic style. Using hand tools, he crafted five buttresses with pinnacles on top of each. Then in order to tie the new structures in with the existing house, he added six buttresses with pinnacles to the house and then joined them together with intricate woodwork. His only help in doing this was Thomas Durrell, an apprentice ship's carpenter. Bourne spent the rest of his life adding to these embellishments. It has been said of Bourne: "The highly skilled carpenter knew no limits to his skill." ()

Coordinates: 43°22'49"N, 70°30'54"W

Address

105 Summer StKennebunk United States

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Day trips

Wedding Cake House – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: First Chance Whalewatch, Seashore Trolley Museum, Walker's Point Estate, Spiller Farm.

2.3 miSE
43°21'37"N • 70°28'44"W
First Chance Whalewatch, Kennebunkport
59 min walk • Dolphin and whale watching, Tours, Outdoor activities
2.4 miNE
Museum, Specialty museum
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
61 min walk • The Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's first and largest museum of mass transit vehicles.
3.8 miSE
Shingle style architecture
Walker's Point Estate, Kennebunkport
97 min walk • Walker's Point Estate is the summer retreat of the Bush family, in the town of Kennebunkport, Maine. It lies along the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast United States, on Walker's Point. The estate served as the Summer White House of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States.
4.6 miW
Farm, Archaeological site
Spiller Farm, Wells
119 min walk • The Spiller Farm Paleoindian Site, designated Site 4.13 by the Maine Archaeological Survey, is a prehistoric archaeological site in Wells, Maine. Located overlooking a stream on the Spiller Farm property on Branch Road, it is an extensive site at which a fine collection of stone artifacts has been found, dating to c. 8,000 BCE.
1.2 miNW
Specialty museum, History museum, Art museum
Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk
31 min walk • The Brick Store Museum, located at 117 Main Street in the town of Kennebunk, Maine, is one of only a few museums that opened during the Great Depression in the United States.
3.5 miSW
Park
Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, Wells
89 min walk • Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, located in Wells, Maine, USA, is 2,250 acres of protected land headquartered at a restored saltwater farm called Laudholm.
1.6 miW
Historical place
Wallingford Hall, Kennebunk
40 min walk • Wallingford Hall is a historic house at 21 York Street in Kennebunk, Maine. Built in 1805–06, it is an unusually grand expression of Federal architecture in the town, built by the regionally architect and builder Thomas Eaton, and one of the oldest surviving examples in the state of a connected farmstead.
3 miSE
43°20'56"N • 70°28'21"W
Chris Becker Photo, Kennebunkport
78 min walk • Museum, Art gallery, Shopping
2.4 miSE
43°21'35"N • 70°28'34"W
Landmark Gallery, Kennebunkport
62 min walk • Museum, Art gallery, Shopping
3.1 miN
43°25'31"N • 70°30'46"W
Arundel Antique Village, Arundel
79 min walk • Park, Antiques, Shopping
1.2 miNW
Interesting neighbourhood, Georgian architecture
Kennebunk Historic District, Kennebunk
30 min walk • The Kennebunk Historic District encompasses a large portion of the historic town center of Kennebunk, Maine. Established in 1736, the district includes a significant number of fairly high-style houses from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when Kennebunk was at its height as a shipbuilding and maritime shipping center.