LEWISTON – A neighborhood of Lewiston homes dating back to the pre-Civil War era – whose occupants included mill owners, merchants and members of Congress – has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Together, they create a showpiece of the city’s history and architecture, said Christi Mitchell, an architectural historian with the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

They tell a segment of the history of Lewiston, Mitchell said. Home styles include Gothic revival, Queen Anne, colonial revival and Tudor revival. Fourteen of the 37 homes were designed by prominent architect George M. Coombs.

Lewiston officials and members of the city’s Historic Preservation Review Board spent nine years putting together a detailed history to nominate the neighborhood for the register, an arm of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

It was the board’s dedication that made it happen, said Gil Arsenault, Lewiston’s director of planning and code enforcement.

It began in 1999 in a Bates College class, “Urban Political Change,” taught by local historian Douglas Hodgkin. He asked his students to research homes in the neighborhood and prepare building genealogies using deeds and other documents to identify the occupants of the houses.

The students reported to the city board, which set its sights on the national register.

A pair of grants, $3,000 from the state and $2,000 from the city, paid for a more detailed report that was compiled by Ann Morris.

Hodgkin, now a Bates professor emeritus, believes the street had more than its share of movers and shakers, beginning with Frye Street’s namesake.

William Frye was the longest-serving majority leader in the U.S. Senate, Hodgkin said. It was his family’s property that was subdivided along Frye Street. His father, Col. John M. Frye, served in the Maine Senate.

Businesspeople and at least two doctors also lived there, Hodgkin said. Those same people served as community leaders, he said.

Most of the historic homes on Frye and College streets are owned by Bates College. Several serve as dormitories.

The college has been expert in its stewardship, Hodgkin said.

The homes’ listing will change little, at least technically. There are some restrictions on making changes to the buildings, if federal money is being used. There are also tax credits for upkeep and renovations.

The biggest benefit is in the honor, Hodgkin said. It makes the buildings more prominent and raises interest in local history.