Did You Know? Part 6: Uncovering History

December 21, 2022

Before and after photos of 190-192 Oxford Street, former home of an Armenian grocery store

1933 view of Congress Square, with Empire Chop Suey Chinese restaurant at center, courtesy Maine Memory Net

As an organization that’s been around for nearly 60 years, we are involved in a lot of different things, and we want to make sure you know the full scope of what we do.

The work of historic preservation was, for so long, the work of saving big, fancy, "important" buildings that were lived or worked in by "important" men. That mentality is changing, however, and the work we are doing at Greater Portland Landmarks reflects our focus on telling the whole story of a place and all the people who have lived, worked, played, and worshipped there throughout history. 
 

What does this mean for our work?

This past spring, we received a Telling the Full History grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to identify the historic resources of underrepresented communities in Portland, focusing on Armenian American, Chinese American and African American populations. Working with graduate students and partners we are locating important sites and neighborhoods and developing context statements to share the missing stories of significance that have shaped Portland’s history, landscapes and architecture, allowing us to strengthen partnerships with our diverse neighbors, and use the information gathered to help share these stories through many platforms. Already, thanks to this past summer's interns, we have made considerable progress in documenting remaining resources, relating to the Armenian- and Chinese-American populations of Portland, particularly in the Bayside neighborhood, where so much was lost to urban renewal. This winter we have another intern beginning the work on the African American component of the project. 

The Maine Historic Preservation Commission awarded Greater Portland Landmarks a New Century Community Fund Grant to fund research at the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine at the University of Southern Maine to identify historic properties associated with diverse Mainers. The research aims to identify buildings, sites, structures, districts or objects owned, occupied, or built by LGBTQ+, Jewish, and African American Mainers or associated with events or a pattern of events having significance in their culture or history. This project was also begun by an intern over the summer, and is currently being continued by two USM students. 

When these projects are completed, we will have, in addition to a wealth of documentation, the ability to share these stories that have for too long been left in the dark. We will make this information accessible through a variety of platforms, including in-person events, online resources, and even walking tours. 

Moving forward we will keep doing work like this, shining light onto aspects of history that haven't been highlighted yet, and helping to share all of Greater Portland's stories. 

Blackstones, Portland's oldest (and last) gay bar

28 A Street, formerly the Green Lantern boarding house operated by Benjamin & Edie Thomas, catering to African American visitors, courtesy Maine Memory Net

Did You Know, part 1: Training the Preservationists of the Future

November 9, 2022

2022 summer intern Hilary Bergen surveying historic resources

interns Hilary Bergen, Lilu McNiff & Liam McNiff take a break from research to visit the Observatory

As an organization that’s been around for nearly 60 years, we are involved in a lot of different things, and we want to make sure you know the full scope of what we do.

Our Anderson Family Internship Program brings the brightest student minds in the field to work at Greater Portland Landmarks for the summer, where these talented students learn from us while owning major research projects.

What does this mean for our work?
 

Interns are a phenomenal resource for us! Not only is it a wonderful opportunity to shape the direction that preservation will take in the future, but it is also a chance for our staff to revisit tried and true best practices and to be introduced to the most up-to-date scholarship and conversations in the field. We polish our own strengths through teaching and broaden our perspectives at the same time. We are pleased to be able to offer competitive wages to our interns thanks to the continuing generosity of our donors.

Our training efforts don’t stop with traditional students. We also serve as the hub for the Portland History Docent (PHD) program, which trains docents for a variety of historic sites in the area. The volunteers who go through this program are given a solid footing in Portland’s history, guiding techniques, and go on to be the lifeblood of so many of the wonderful museums and sites that bring Portland’s history to life for visitors and locals alike. Here at Greater Portland Landmarks, we rely on docents who come through the PHD program to guide our walking tours and tours of the Observatory. We couldn’t be more grateful for their contributions to our organization! Thank you, docents!
 
Does training preservationists speak to you? Support bringing interns to Landmarks and continuing the invaluable PHD program!
 

2022 PHD class

Docent Rick Scala leading a walking tour of the India Street neighborhood

Minor League Baseball in Bayside: A History of the Bayside Park Baseball Stadium

A view of Bayside Park baseball stadium from Washington Avenue in Portland. Portland Maine History 1786 to Present

Bayside Park served as home to several independent baseball teams from its construction in 1913 up until the 1930 season. Located on the North side of Fox Street, in between Boyd and Smith Streets, it was home to not only baseball games, but to circus events and boxing matches too.  

The baseball stadium was built on fill. The lower sections of what is now known as the Bayside neighborhood below Oxford Street were once part of Back Cove. Several infill projects in Back Cove took place between 1870 and the construction of I-295 over a hundred years later.  Back Cove during the 1800s was full of industrial waste and residential sewage for the majority of the century. In 1895, Mayor James Baxter hired the Olmstead landscape architectural firm to improve the health and sanitation of the Cove, while also developing a scenic waterfront area for recreation. This began the development of the Portland Park System and led to the the gradual development of the Back Cove shoreline through the 20th Century.

A map depicting the various fill campaigns in the Bayside neighborhood. Portland Department of Public Works/Maine Memory Network

In 1913 when the baseball stadium was built, the shoreline of Back Cove extended to what is now Marginal Way and followed the Union Railroad tracks over the cove toward Tukey’s Bridge.  The park’s Grandstands wrapped around the southern corner of the block, with Boyd Street down the 3rd base line and Fox Street down the 1st base line. An additional bleacher section was built past 1st base. If a batter really got a hold of a ball, he could make a splash hit beyond Back Cove’s high water line out in Left Field. 

Bayside Park was built on Fox Street in 1913, between Boyd and Smith Streets. It’s northern boundary was the shoreline of Back Cove and the Union Railroad trestle that crossed Back Cove. Portland Public Library

The first game at Bayside Park was held on May 8, 1913. The Portland Duffs opened up their game of the new season in the New England League under legendary owner and manager Hugh Duffy. Duffy (1866-1954) was born in Rhode Island and spent most of his professional baseball career in Boston, but also played in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. He made his transition from playing to coaching in 1904 when he left Milwaukee to coach the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League, and then later became owner and manager of the Providence Greys of the Eastern League. After another attempt in the Major Leagues managing the Chicago White Sox, he ended up in New England as owner/manager of the newly incorporated Maine Franchise in lower Class-B New England League. Named after himself, he managed the Portland Duffs for 4 years and managed to win a pennant in 1915, but then sold the club following the 1916 season. Duffy was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.

Opening Day at Bayside Park in 1913. Douglas Noble/Maine Memory Network

After the 1916 season a new team, the Portland Paramounts, used Bayside Park lead by manager Michael Garrity. One familiar face lasted through the team change, pitcher Fleet Mayberry (1890-1929). Earl Fleet Mayberry’s career in Portland lasted from the Duffs inaugural season in 1913 into the 1917 season with the Paramounts. After 1917 he entered the military, serving in World War I. After the war he played six more seasons of baseball and worked as a school teacher in his home state of North Carolina. 

Pitching alongside Mayberry was another notable former Portland Duff player named Oscar Tuero (1898-1960). Tuero was born in Havana, Cuba and played from 1913-1941 all throughout the United States. He was with the Portland Duffs in the 1914 season, and was one of the few players from the Duffs to make it into the Major Leagues. From 1918 to 1920, Tuero pitched in 69 games for the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Although the Portland Paramounts only lasted one season at Bayside Park, there continued to be a string of teams that called the park their home. The Portland Blue Sox of 1919, the Portland Green Sox in 1925, the Portland Eskimos in 1926-1927, and the Portland Mariners from 1928-1930.  

Members of the Portland Green Sox at Bayside Park circa 1925. The Portland Observatory on Munjoy Hill is visible at image left above the tree line. Portland Press Herald/Maine Memory Network

Although baseball remained an extremely popular sport in Portland, the challenges of the independent baseball leagues did not allow a team to stay at Bayside Park for a long time. Teams could not constantly fill the stands and make a profit. With the construction of the Portland (now Fitzpatrick) stadium in 1930, Bayside Park was reduced to use by local Twilight and Sunset Leagues. Without a steady team occupying the park, the field and stadium were neglected, and by 1950 the grandstands were torn down. 

The area of Bayside along Back Cove became an industrial area, and shortly after the tear down of the stadium in 1951, a trucking company built on top of where screaming fans previously watched  baseball games. Closer to Back Cove, in what was once Left-Centerfield, was the new manufacturing building for the Songo Shoe Company. These developments would be the start to a multi-decade long change in the neighborhood along with urban renewal projects starting in the late 1950s.  

Urban Renewal also gave the the neighborhood the name ‘Bayside’, when the removals made way for new developments like Kennedy Park in 1965 and the Franklin Arterial project in 1967. The urban renewal projects displaced many Irish, Italian, Scandinavian, and Armenian immigrant families who likely attended games and played in local leagues at Bayside Park. Today, Fox Field serves as a recreational grounds for sports and after school programs serving one of Portland’s most diverse neighborhoods. If you look north of Fox Street, you will see the old trucking company has become a newly renovated spot for two popular brewery restaurants. What was once the section of Smith Street connecting to Marginal Way became Diamond Street after the demolition of the Bayside Park.  

The History of Baseball in Maine can draw many ties to the old site of Bayside Park. The site was at a time the outskirts of the neighborhood, but then became a front door for Portland’s after the urban renewal movement that affected so many historic homes and buildings in the Bayside neighborhood.

---

Some of the Portland Teams’ Members

George E. "Duffy" Lewis

Oscar Tuero

Roland "Cuke" Barrows

Raphael Quintana

Harry Lord

George E "Duffy" Lewis (1888-1979) was a left fielder on three world champion Boston Red Sox teams and manager of the Portland Mariners of the New England League at Bayside Park 1927-1929. He is in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cuban born Oscar Tuero (1893-1960) played for the Portland Duffs during the 1914 season. From 1918-1920 he played with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Roland “Cuke” Barrows (1883-1955) of Gorham, Maine was an outfielder who played Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox from 1909 to 1912. Although he would establish a long-time family greenhouse and floral business in Gorham, his nickname purportedly came from his “cool as a cucumber” play in tough games, not from his gardening skills. He was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

James J. “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick (c1896-1989) was a teacher, athletic director and coach at Portland High School for 45 years. Portland’s Fitzpatrick Stadium is named in his honor. He also played semi-professional ball in Portland. He once faced Babe Ruth at Bayside Park in Portland, where Ruth was doing batting exhibitions. “I pitched the whole game,” Fitzpatrick recalled. “Ruth popped twice to the infield and the other two times, I struck him out, and when Babe didn’t speak to me after the game I knew he was mad and I was some shook up.” He was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

Also Cuban born, Rafael Quintana played minor league baseball over six seasons with six different teams, including the 1929 season with the Portland Mariners. He also played two seasons in the Cuban leagues splitting time between Habana and Almendares.

Harry Lord (1882-1948) played four seasons at third base with the Boston Red Sox (1907-1910) and five seasons with the Chicago White Sox. Near the end of his career in 1917 he played with Portland, batting .266 in 102 games. Born in Porter Maine, he later lived in Cape Elizabeth and coached at South Portland High School. He too is in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

William “Doc” Doherty was from Portland. He was a first baseman and played part of the 1929 season for Portland. He was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Frank Alexander “Pat” French was a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono who played centerfield briefly for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1917 before going off to fight later that year in World War I. He returned to Maine and would later play in 1927 for the Portland Eskimos.

Another Portlander, Ray Carr pitched for Duffy Lewis’ Portland team in 1927. Ray also pitched for Camden Club, managed by Portland’s Ray “Lanky” Jordan - a former Portland Green Sox player. Ray Jordan, as well as Ray Carr and his brother Daniel are all in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Daniel worked as the grounds keeper at Bayside Park for eight years, and was a longtime Portland police officer.

Although most players at Bayside Park were men, at least one woman spent a great deal of time at the stadium. Florence Irene “Smokey” Woods caught batting practice and shagged flies for the 1913 Portland team in the New England League managed by Hugh Duffy. Known for her exceptional batting eye as well as her throwing arm, she played on several area teams. It is said that she “amazed members of Portland teams in the New England League at Bayside Park with her arm and batting skill. She was the envy of many a boy at Cathedral Grammar, where she mixed discipline with goodly doses of baseball in the schoolyard. Her baseball activities were largely confined to Portland’s Bayside Park and the local Cathedral Grammar schoolyard. She later became a nun and was known as Sister Mary Athanasia. She was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.

Written and researched by Evan Brisentine and Julie Larry.

Evan Brisentine was a 2021 summer intern with Greater Portland Landmarks and is currently in the Masters of Historic Preservation at the University of Oregon. He graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.A. in History and is now in his second year of his Master's program. Evan is originally from the San Francisco Bay area but experienced life in Maine when he lived in Old Orchard Beach during the summers of 2013 and 2014 playing baseball. His interests in the preservation field include cultural resource management and preservation planning.

Benefits of Living in a Local Historic District

Exchange Street in the Old Port Historic District (Photo by Corey Templeton)

By Mark McDonnell, 2020 Intern

Each summer, Greater Portland Landmarks hires interns currently enrolled in historic preservation programs at colleges across the country to assist in our advocacy and education work. Our interns bring their knowledge of the preservation world in academia and in other parts of the country. In return, they gain valuable experience working in a historic preservation non-profit. This year, they’re working remotely.

Mark was raised in New Jersey and is enrolled in the Preservation Studies M.A. program at Boston University.

What is a Local Historic District?

Historic districts fall under two major types: National Register Historic Districts (NRHDs) and Local Historic Districts (LHDs). LHDs protect and regulate the buildings within them, while NRHDs are more useful for identifying historic resources and securing federal funding for rehabilitation of these structures. The impact of a LHD on the homeowner can be greater than that of the NRHD, but there are some similarities. For example, both types of historic districts can promote tourism. The NRHD might seem more appealing to the homeowner because it lacks the regulatory power of the LHD, but LHDs offer plenty of benefits as well, and common concerns about their negative impacts do not hold up against the data.

Local historic districts (LHDs) are defined and regulated areas containing groups of properties that have been determined to contribute to a municipality’s culture or heritage. Generally, street-facing facades of buildings in LHDs cannot be significantly altered, but interior changes and exterior alterations not visible to the public are usually approved by the LHD’s regulatory body. Local historic districts preserve the historic character of an area with tools such as demolition delay and design review. Likewise, new construction in or near a LHD might be subject to design requirements or otherwise be encouraged to be compatible with nearby historic construction. Living in a LHD can provide environmental and economic benefits, among others.

Environmental Benefits

Rehabilitating a building on Commercial Street in the Old Port Historic District (Photo by Corey Templeton)

Local historic districts benefit the environment by maintaining and reusing historic buildings rather than demolishing and replacing them. Using an already-existing building is better for the environment than new construction, even if the new construction would be energy efficient. Reusing an existing building that has outlived its original purpose is called “adaptive reuse.” Adaptive reuse is almost always better for the environment than new construction because fewer materials need to be made, transported, or assembled. Local historic districts are inherently “green” because they encourage the use and reuse of already-existing buildings rather than demolition and new construction.

Economic Benefits

Economic benefits of owning a home in a local historic district are well-documented, contrary to popular concerns that regulations governing a LHD might lower property values. In fact, property values in historic districts appreciate faster than in surrounding areas that are not designated historic districts. “City or regional studies where historic districts are compared to non-historic districts have provided generally conclusive data regarding the history of property value increases over time in historic districts that exceed the rate of growth in non-historic districts.”[1] For example, a 2011 study of single-family homes in Connecticut towns, conducted by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, found, “Overall there appears to be a 2-4% value premium from location within a local historic district.”[2] This positive effect on property values is exaggerated in urban areas. In New York City, the value premium ranges from 8% in the bottom quantile of house prices to 5% in the highest.[3]

A snowy day in the Deering Street Historic District (Photo by Corey Templeton)

While property values appreciate faster in historic districts than outside them, there is no evidence that this causes gentrification or other displacement, despite several studies evaluating exactly this possibility. The largest of these studies found that “nothing happens” regarding demographic changes connected to historic designation. Any demographic change that occurs in the area within a decade of historic designation, the authors conclude, is unrelated to the historic designation.[4]

Historic districts offer economic and environmental benefits. Using and reusing existing buildings is a major environmental, and potentially financial, benefit in itself. Likewise, the positive effect of historic district designation on property values is well established, despite common concerns about regulations. Historic districts preserve a town or neighborhood’s historic character while providing many important benefits to their residents and to the environment.

References

[1] Mimi Morris, “The Economic Impact of Historic Resource Preservation,” California Cultural and Historical Endowment, November 2012: 13, https://resources.ca.gov/CNRALegacyFiles/docs/cche/EconomicImpact_of_HistoricResourcePreservation.pdf.

[2] PlaceEconomics, “Connecticut Local Historic Districts and Property Values,” Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, October 2011: 3, http://lhdct.org/documents/Property%20Values%20LHD%202011.pdf.

[3] Edward L. Glaeser, “Preservation Follies: Excessive Landmarking Threatens to Make Manhattan a Refuge for the Rich,” City-Journal, Spring 2010, https://www.city-journal.org/html/preservation-follies-13279.html.

[4] N. Edward Coulson and Robin M. Leichenko, “Historic Preservation and Neighbourhood Change,” Urban Studies 41, no. 8 (July 2004): 1587, https://buprimo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/g23ind/TN_sage_s10_1080_0042098042000227028.

Further Reading

“National Park Service Historic Preservation Economic Impact.” National Park Service. Updated January 11, 2015, https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/economic-impacts.htm.

Rypkema, Donovan, Caroline Cheong, and Randall Mason. “Measuring Economic Impacts of Historic Preservation: A Report to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.” November 2011. https://www.achp.gov/sites/default/files/guidance/2018-06/Economic%20Impacts%20v5-FINAL.pdf.

Zahirovic, Velma, and Swarn Chatterjee. “Historic Preservation and Residential Property Values: Evidence from Quantile Regression.” Urban Studies 49, no. 2 (February 2012): 369-382. https://buprimo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/g23ind/TN_sage_s10_1177_0042098011404936.

Historic Preservation Today

Founded in 1964, Landmarks is now more than 55 years old. Portland’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, passed in 1990, is now thirty years old. While not every community in greater Portland has a preservation ordinance, most recognize the importance of preservation and the role older neighborhoods and buildings play in strengthening their community.

“The virtues of saving and reusing older
places are now much more broadly recognized across
America. Nor are we voices in the wilderness anymore:
time and again, preservation has proven an invaluable
tool in spurring economic growth, meeting critical
social needs, and bringing communities together. ”

— The National Trust for Historic Preservation

Although the current pandemic may slow growth, as happened in the 2007 economic recession, it is likely that greater Portland will continue to grow. It is an attractive choice for remote workers that can now choose to live anywhere. Below are several challenges that Landmarks is working to address in our education and advocacy work.

Modernism is now historic.

While there is a growing appreciation for mid-century buildings and landscapes, they are sometimes criticized as being soulless or outright ugly. Take Brutalism, an architectural style that emerged in the 1950s featuring poured concrete, bold geometric shapes, and stark landscape settings. The name, Brutalism, does not exactly evoke positive feelings, but for some preservationists, the uniqueness of the style and an appreciation of how good examples of the style contribute to a sense of place and reflect its period in history, mean it is beloved by some. (Confession - I am one of those people. Many of my recent travels involve dragging reluctant friends and family to see Brutalist buildings before they are demolished or altered. I may be one of the few people in Portland that admits to liking the pump station at Fore and India Street).

Modernist places may not be loved or may be coming to the end of their life cycle, like the Maine Medical Center Employee Parking Garage on Congress Street. They may also have been built on the site of a beloved historic building that was demolished to make way for the new. This provides a dilemma. Should we preserve places that we once fought against in the early days of the preservation movement? History sometimes represents events, actions, and outcomes we would like to forget. We should always be asking, “Are we preserving the full history of a place, or only the parts that form our preferred image of history?” For preservation, this is a constant challenge.

Preserving a broad historic narrative.

Current preservation approaches, including the National Register of Historic Places, locally designated districts and landmarks, and historic site interpretation, have not fully represented the stories of all Americans. Our preservation practice needs to be more inclusive in the identification, understanding, and protection of historic places. Changes in technology, social media and new research offer the opportunity to rethink how we focus our work and how we share these stories with our community.

In 2017 the National Trust for Historic Preservation outlined a new vision for the future of historic preservation and set out three key principles:

• Honor the full diversity of the ever-evolving American story.

• Nurture more equitable, healthy, resilient, vibrant, sustainable communities.

• Collaborate with new and existing partners.

Landmarks has been evaluating its current programs and advocacy work as part of its strategic planning process and these principles play an important role in our assessment and recommendation for the organization’s future.

Expand preservation trades training.

Historic Preservation is more labor intensive than new building construction. Jobs like these can't be outsourced or automated, each project is unique. The time it can take to get on many preservation contractors' schedules illustrates the demand for these professionals (We know firsthand, we have a lot of work to do on our historic building too!). The demand for people with traditional building skills is growing, as the artisans who practiced these trades are aging out. It will take a cooperative effort between preservation organizations, educational institutions, and tradespeople to help develop programs that teach skills leading to well-paying jobs and encourage young people to seek out a future in historic preservation. The Maine School of Masonry is one such program already in place in Maine.

Sustainability and Adaptation

We know we say it often, the greenest building is the one already built. Historic Preservation is sustainable and will play a role in helping our communities reach sustainability goals. In 2011 we published, The Energy Efficient Old House: A Workbook for Homeowners, to help guide homeowners in ways to reduce their historic home’s energy consumption. However, reducing our carbon footprint is only part of the solution. We should be thinking about the long term future of our communities and demand better buildings that aren’t just designed for the next 40-50 years, but will be around for the next 100-200 years - and hopefully future landmarks!

The stringent application of the National Parks Services Standards for Rehabilitation, the de facto preservation policy governing preservation locally as well as at the state and national level, may be challenging when adapting a building threatened by rising tides or extreme storm events. Recurrent flooding and the impacts of more frequent and intense storms can have a serious impact on historic resources, and we must be prepared to help owners make their buildings more resilient to flooding and high winds. That may mean altering a building in ways discouraged by the standards. Beyond that, we need to rethink what it means to “save” places and sites that are important to our cultural heritage, because saving them physically may not be feasible.

This spring the staff at Landmarks are busy even though we are apart. We are planning our Un-Gala, investigating ways to give safe walking tours, and deciding how we can reopen the Observatory to visitors. On the advocacy side, we are ‘attending’ virtual planning board and preservation board meetings and planning how to host our first remote internships! We miss being together in person and we miss seeing you at our events, but we are working hard each day to ensure that greater Portland’s history and sense of place is protected and celebrated.

Julie Larry