THE LEVINE BLOCK
9-11 and 13-19 Main Street

The Levine Company was founded by William Levine, a Polish immigrant who came to the United States in 1884 at the age of 18. He sold clothing door-to-door in New York City before coming to Maine by rail. Here he peddled clothing from a horse and wagon. His store hop-scotched around Waterville, finally settling in a wooden building on the west side at the south end of Main Street in 1891.

A taller building on the east side of Main Street was built in 1910 and the business moved across the street into that portion of this block.

The smaller building to the south, built in the mid 19th century, was a two-story brick store. In the late 1800s a third floor was added when the building was converted from a grocery store to a small restaurant and saloon. During the 1920s Levine's clothing expanded into this building.

William Levine and his descendants operated Levine's clothing for men and boys until it closed in 1996 after 105 years of operation. Being Colby graduates, Pacy and Ludy Levine had a “Colby Corner” in the basement of the store, which sold official Colby clothing.