City of Portland City Council Contact List

• Send written comments to your Mayor, At-Large and District City Councilors.
  Mayor - Mark Dion, mdion@portlandmaine.gov
  At-Large - Roberto Rodriguez, rrodriguez@portlandmaine.gov
  At-Large - Pious Ali, pali@portlandmaine.gov
  At-Large - April Fournier, afournier@portlandmaine.gov
  District 1 - Anna Trevorrow, atrevorrow@portlandmaine.gov
  District 2 - Victoria Pelletier, vpelletier@portlandmaine.gov
  District 3 - Regina Phillips, rphillips@portlandmaine.gov
  District 4 - Anna Bullett, abullett@portlandmaine.gov
  District 5 - Kate Sykes, ksykes@portlandmaine.gov

• Send your supporting comments to publiccomment@portlandmaine.gov for the City Council meeting.

• Please be sure to include your name and legal address as well as the name of the agenda item: 142 Free Street in every email.

Key Talking Points for City Council Outreach

(If you have questions not answered here, check our FAQs page!)

• Greater Portland Landmarks does not oppose the expansion of the PMA campus, which is home to several historic buildings. However, we find no basis for reclassification of the 142 Free St. building as a non-contributing structure in the historic district and firmly believe the PMA can achieve its expansion plans without demolishing it. Portland’s Historic Preservation Board and Planning Board agreed with our position.

• Portland’s Historic Preservation Ordinance expressly forbids the City Council from considering any provisions in the City’s comprehensive plan, “Portland’s Plan 2030” when it contemplates whether to decide that the building be reclassified. The City Council must only apply the criteria in the Historic Preservation Ordinance when considering the applicant’s request to change the classification of the building.

• During the district designation process, each structure or site is carefully evaluated in order to assign a classification of contributing, non-contributing or Landmark. The building at 142 Free Street is identified as a contributing building in the Spring Street National Register Historic District (1970) and in the Congress Street Local Historic District (2009).

• For a building to be designated as a contributing structure, it needs to meet just one of the criteria laid out in Subsection 17.4.1.A of Portland’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. The former Chamber of Commerce Building meets 4 out of the 6 criteria. It also meets the criteria laid out in Subsection 17.4.1.B. and Subsection 17.4.2 of the ordinance. 

  • It is significant to the cultural, historic, architectural heritage of the city.

  • It exemplifies a significant architectural style.

  • It is the work of an architect whose individual work is significant in the history or development of the City of Portland and the State of Maine.

  • As the former home for nearly 60 years of the city’s Chamber of Commerce, it expresses and contributes to the theme of the Congress Street Historic District, a cohesive corridor of commercial and civic buildings that are significant for their role in the commercial, social, and architectural development of the city from 1780-1958.

  • Although minor alterations have been made to the exterior, it retains its temple-form, major fenestration patterns, and the architectural details of its primary facade that are character defining elements of its design and reflect its appearance during its use by the Portland Chamber of Commerce. In the technical language of the historic preservation ordinance, the building retains its integrity, its ability to convey its historical association and the physical attributes that were present during the nearly 60 years the building  served as the headquarters of Portland’s Chamber of Commerce.

• If you are looking for all the details on this continuing battle, please visit our full page on 142 Free Street.