The Danish Village

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Don Taylor

The Danish Village (Den Danske Landsby) was one of the first motels in the United States. Located on US Route 1 in Scarborough,  this unique motel was a replica of a little medieval Danish Town.  Each unit consisted of one or two rooms, showers, and twin beds. The Danish Coffee Shop (Den Danske Kaffee Stue) served breakfast and lunch. The Gift Shop featured Scandinavian crystal, ceramics and objets d’ art. 

Brochure from The Danish Village.

Article about the Danish Village by Brank Hodgdon (Also available on Maine Memory Network)

Gallery of Danish Village Photos

(Hover image to see filename/title.)

Danish-Village-Arial-Curtis-Wright-Flying-Service-00.61
Danish-Village-Arial-Photo-with-text-below-97.32.1
Danish-Village-Cottages-1934-12.26.2
Danish-Village-Cottages-Fountain-S.-of-Portland-Maine-1934-12.26.1
Danish-Village-Dining-Room-Sep-39-2018.07.18
Danish-Village-Fountain-and-Town-Hall-2015.15.01f
Danish-Village-From-Distance-with-Text-Portland-Maine-c.-1930-NA
Danish-Village-Little-Garden-95.54.1b
Danish-Village-Nest-on-Roof-Sep-39-2018.07.16
Danish-Village-Post-Card-2018.07.13
Danish-Village-Post-Card-between-Old-Orchard-Beach-and-Portland-96.28.4
Danish-Village-Post-Card-Borgergrade-Citizen-Street-Scarboro-Maine-C74-c-12.25.1a
Danish-Village-Post-Card-Greetings-from-Danish-Village-Portland-Maine-38
Danish-Village-Post-Card-Near-Portland-Maine-P.8-00.65
Danish-Village-Post-Card-Portland-ME-33
Danish-Village-Two-cars-and-fountain-2015.15.01c
Danish-Village-Two-women-by-gate-Sep-39-2018.07.17
Den-Danske-Landsby-Post-Card-Scarboro-Maine-03.12.1
Den-Danske-Landsby-Post-Card-Scarboro-Maine-2017.56.03
Den-Danske-Landsby-Post-Card-Scarboro-Maine-90.30.2
Den-Danske-Landsby-Post-Card-The-Danish-Village
The-Danish-Village-2019.49.02

For higher resolution images of these photos, please contact the Scarborough Historical Society.

In 2015, the Danish Village Arch was moved to Memorial Park, where stands today.

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