Norway, Maine’s Victorian-Era Gingerbread House is for Sale

The Gingerbread House has been a landmark on Main Street in Norway, Maine, for over 150 years, and is now for sale.

According to Buildings of New England, the Gingerbread House is the Evans-Cummings House, a Victorian-era home that was built in 1855 for Richard Evans, a carpenter who moved from Portland to Norway for work. He and his wife had eight children who lived in the house until their death. In 1890, the house was remodeled and gingerbread adornments were added. Years later, it was used for storage by the owners of the Advertiser Democrat, the newspaper published in the Oxford Hills area.

The Gingerbread House fell into disrepair over the years. In 2011, it was saved by being moved down Main Street to a new location, where it was restored.

It took around a decade to for the work to be done to restore the home, with many volunteers and donations of supplies to make it happen.

Now it's for sale for $400,000. That sounds like a bargain for this iconic building, and there's a reason for that. The interior was not renovated, so to make it livable or suitable as office space or other uses, it needs a lot of work.

Here's the view from the top of the tower.

And here are a few rooms inside the house.

The Norway Landmarks Preservation Society is selling the property through Hearth & Key Realty, and any owners will have to renovate the interior. The Preservation Society has a preservation easement on the property, so it will remain preserved for centuries to come.