Comment now on proposed art for Congress Square Park

 
Sarah Sze.jpg

Shattered Sphere, Sze Studio

 

Artist Sarah Sze has proposed three options for a proposed sculpture in Congress Square Park. The three options are now available online. Each option consists of three pieces of diminishing size that would be installed within the park. The Portland Public Art Committee will meet on Wednesday, May 17 at 4:30PM to discuss the three options with the artist and to accept public comment. If you can't attend the meeting, public comment will be accepted online for one week following the meeting. For more information contact Caitlin Cameron.

Public Forum: Fort Gorges Preservation Plan

On May 10th at 5:30PM in the Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Room, the City of Portland will hold a public forum on Fort Gorges. The City will explain what will be happening on the island this summer as the Army Corps of Engineers begins work on some safety improvements at the fort and will talk about the preservation planning process. The City is funding a preservation plan with help from Friends of Fort Gorges, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

Preservation Month Matters

Preservation Month Matters

Did you know that May is National Preservation month?  We are excited there is a whole month to celebrate what we do every day!   In historic cities like ours it can be easy to take our charming historic downtown for granted.  Why would anyone want to destroy it?   But, before there were citizen groups like Greater Portland Landmarks, buildings were unappreciated, abandoned, and torn down.  This was happening in Portland,  throughout Maine, and allover the country.  Now, not only does our organization exist, but there are city ordinances, historic districts, state and national historic tax credits, and national organizations. However, nothing is safe.  As Portland grows new areas are threatened, and with every new federal tax plan, historic tax credits become vulnerable. A month devoted to Historic Preservation reminds us how far we've come, where we are going, and how much is left to be done.  

Below are some links, resources, and tools to get you excited about Historic Preservation.  Join us!

Portland Planning Board Public Hearing on new City Comprehensive Plan

The Draft Land Use Plan identifies target areas in the city for change or evaluation in the next decade. Map Courtesy of the City of Portland Planning Department

The City of Portland will hold another public hearing on Thursday, April 13th at 6PM to take public comment on the draft comprehensive plan. It is expected that the plan, with some possible minor modifications, will be forwarded to the City Council and presented in a council workshop on Monday, April 24th at 5PM.

Greater Portland Landmarks' staff and supporters have participated in public forums, workshops, and hearings  as well as several meetings with city staff during the comprehensive plan's development. Our goal has been to insure that the plan reflects the incalculable contribution Portland's authentic sense of place makes to our city's economic, social, and cultural vitality. 

Learn more about Greater Portland Landmarks comments on the draft Comprehensive Plan here. 

South Portland Public Library Shines Bright

South Portland Public Library Shines Bright

When Davis took over he immediately wanted to make the building more inviting and prominent to the community.  With little money in the budget he did what he could.  In 2007-8 he asked the DPW to rip out the giant over grown rhododendrons that blocked the sunlight from pouring in the front glass wall.  This also let the light from the library pour out over the little hill that was built around it, making it so distinguishable from a distance. This simple collaboration of city resources highlighted the architecture of the building and made it easier to make the case for more restoration of the library. “Numbers increased drastically” Davis said, “the increased visibility of the building alone, brought more people into it. Period.” Soon after the city started chipping away at other projects.  Next the building’s distinctive concrete was preserved.

Portland unveils new design for Congress Square Park

On March 16th the City held a public meeting to update the community on the progress of the new Congress Square design. Details on the plan, activities, and materials are available on the city's website. Comments on the plan will be accepted through March 24th. 

St. Joseph's Convent receives additional City funding support

Stevens Avenue, Portland photo by Greater Portland Landmarks

Stevens Avenue, Portland photo by Greater Portland Landmarks

The city's housing committee agreed this month to reallocate federal dollars from a Portland Housing Authority (PHA) housing project to a project that will rehabilitate a former convent on Stevens Avenue. PHA's project on Boyd Street is on hold and the Stevens Avenue project has a funding gap that needs to be closed as rehabilitation work is hoped to begin this spring. 

The plans for the vacant convent building will convert it into housing for people 55 years and up. The project is in part financed with historic and low income tax credits. The value of those credits has diminished, creating a small funding gap in the $17 million dollar project. 

The convent will be one of many historic properties to be restored using the federal historic tax credit program, a program that is currently in danger of being lost even though it creates more money than costs. Please help us build support for retaining this important preservation tool and learn more about our advocacy for retaining and improving the federal historic tax credit.

Mechanics' Hall

Mechanics' Hall

Mechanics' Hall, built from 1857-9 at 519 Congress Street, Portland, is considered to be the finest work of Thomas J. Sparrow, Portland’s first native architect. Built from Biddeford granite and stone this Italianate style building is adorned with architectural features that highlight the community for which it was built, Maine Charitable Mechanic Association (MCMA).  The keystones above each arched window on the front façade are carved with the heads of Vulcan and of Archimedes, and the arm of Labor. The storefronts on the first floor were intended for association members to lease for their own businesses.  The core of the original design was to create a permanent home for their library that had been moved between different locations around Portland to accommodate its growing size and use.  

Revised Design for the Rufus Deering Site

Rendering by Archetype Architects

Rendering by Archetype Architects

The design team working on the redevelopment of the Rufus Deering parcel has submitted revised images of their proposed plan for a mixed use development at 383 Commercial Street. The new design responds to many of the comments made by members of the Portland Historic Preservation Board at a workshop in January. The role of the Historic Preservation Board is advisory only to the Planning Board because the project is just outside the boundaries of the Portland Waterfront Historic District. The Historic Preservation Board will hold a second workshop on the project on March 1 at 5:00 PM in Room 209 of City Hall, 389 Congress Street.

Image from the January 2017 Historic Preservation Board Workshop 

Image from the January 2017 Historic Preservation Board Workshop 

Important Places of Portland's African-American History

Important Places of Portland's African-American History

Portland’s Black Community has been shaping the city’s history, landscapes, and architecture since the city’s founding.  As a major port city, Portland was both a stop on the Underground Railroad and home to a thriving community of free black people who worked the waterfront or worked for the commercial railroads.  A few of the buildings that tell their stories remain standing, primarily in the India Street Neighborhood which was founded by free blacks who prospered in Portland’s maritime economy. Those buildings are featured below.