Portland Public Market's future

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http://www.theforecaster.net/story.php?storyid=13751&ftype=search

Former Public Market eyed for arts center
By Kate Bucklin (published: February 14, 2008)
PORTLAND ? The former Portland Public Market in the Bayside neighborhood is being considered as a location for an arts and education center.

The owner of two early childhood schools in greater Portland has met with city staff and members of the Creative Economy Steering Committee to discuss turning the building into a shared space for arts organizations and for a pre-kindergarten school.

The market building at 25 Preble St. has been empty since fall 2006, when The Libra Foundation sold the property to Guggenheim Real Estate as part of a $65 million real estate package. In June, Portland voters rejected a bid by the Portland Public Library to partially fund moving the library into the former market.

The building is listed for sale by CBRE/The Boulos Co. for $2.7 million. Boulos President Morris Fischer on Monday said his company had no new information to share about the building, and ?nothing imminent.?

The Libra Foundation opened the Public Market in 1998 as an outlet for Maine farmers and food producers. Foundation founder Elizabeth Noyce and current Libra President Owen Wells first conceived the market in 1995. Noyce died the next year without seeing her plan reach fruition.

But the market never became self-sustaining. Its tenants frequently changed as they failed to attract enough patronage to stay in business.

Now, Steven Brier, the owner of the Little Dolphin Schools in Westbrook and Scarborough, has approached the city about the possibility of purchasing the building.

Members of the city?s Creative Economy Steering Committee and city staff have met with Brier, who told them his vision for the property includes space for a third Little Dolphin School, arts offices, rehearsal space and a 350-seat theater.

The committee is set to release a report that includes its goals, one of which is to have an Arts Center in Portland, said City Councilor Jim Cohen, chairman of the committee. Cohen said the vision of the committee is to create a common space for a range of artistic tenants that would also be open to the public.

?Rental space keeps going up,? Cohen said. ?It is hard for artists to find space to work in and as a result some are going to Westbrook and Biddeford.?

Cohen, who has not met with Brier, said Brier?s vision is similar in concept to the steering committee?s. He said the committee did not detail whether an arts center should be public, private or developed through a public-private partnership.

Brier, who did not return phone calls seeking comment, is expected to seek some form of financial aid if the project moves forward.

Bayside Neighborhood Association President Ron Spinella said this week he had also heard of the interest in the market building, and expected to receive more information on it soon. The topic was briefly discussed at a recent Bayside Community Development Corp. meeting and was expected to be discussed at the Bayside Steering Committee meeting Tuesday.

?I think it will be generally accepted,? Spinella said. ?It?s sad to see that nice building just sitting there empty.?

Spinella also said he thought an arts center would benefit the neighborhood and provide at least some public space.

Kate Bucklin can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 106 or kbucklin@theforecaster.net.
 
I would be pretty happy with just about any public-oriented tenant moving in here. I don't think it would be a good space for the library so I'm glad that didn't happen, but I'm sure it can be put to good use for something else.
 
Developer Agrees To Buy Portland Public Market Building

May 19, 2008

PORTLAND, Maine -- The building that housed the Portland Public Market until it closed two years ago could soon have a new owner under an agreement between the building's owner and a local development firm.
Click to expand...
http://www.wmtw.com/news/16324846/detail.html


Thoughts, comments concerns?

I would settle for pretty much any tenant to take over this prime real estate that has sat unused for so long. (It feels longer than 2 years to me)
 
"Atlantic National declined to discuss its plans or a timetable for redevelopment with the newspaper. But a commercial broker working with the company said a likely option is to convert the building into first-class office and retail space."

This is a change from the plans for an arts and education center. Can anyone tell me whether the public market garage was built with this building?
 
Yes, the garage connected via skywalk was constructed at the same time. The upper levels provide a nice view of Bayside and beyond.
 
It's too bad nothing was done to make that garage less of a street life killer. Following other Portland examples, it could have been wrapped in office space or had its first floor dedicated to retail. (I know it has a dry cleaner in it.)
 
That whole neighborhood was a street life killer. Great idea for Betty to help build that great market. Awful awful location. Not only is the neighborhood crappy, but it had no visibility. I can't tell you how many times I gave directions to a tourist from monument square to it. They should have taken apart the whole thing and put it back together on the pier for part of the Olympia project.
 
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=225289&ac=PHnws



Local firm buys Public Market building
PowerPay will transform the building into a "progressive" office environment to serve as the company's headquarters.
By Tux Turkel, Staff Writer
December 2, 2008


Also today, PowerPay put a key piece of its plan for reusing the building in place. It was the top bidder at an auction involving two nearby lots for a failed condominium project. Goodrich said he plans to use the vacant parcel at 409 Cumberland Ave. as interim parking for workers as he redevelops the empty market building for his company.
Click to expand...


I guess having this business in the public market building is better than nothing, but certainly not the ideal outcome. Don't get me started on the 409 Cumberland Avenue lot. The public market has a parking garage attached to it, why do they need to park cars here too?
 
^My thoughts exactly. It seems like they're dooming the lot adjacent to it. I could have thought of 1 million better uses than this, but I guess having it occupied is better than having nothing in there at all. I can't imagine that there isn't enough parking in that garage.

*EDIT* Did I read that the winning bid was $340,000?! Is that the whole cost or a down payment of some sort? I can't imagine a building of this size, even given the market and the fact that Portland isn't too pricey anyway, going for that little. I hope I just read that wrong because I was in a rush.
 
I think the $340,000 was just the price for the empty lot down the road where the waterview project was going to be.
 
^Ok. good. That just sounded wayyyyy too low.
 
They are currently redoing this entrance and tearing out the old steps.

publicmarketmakeover1po.jpg
 
in the 1980s there was a plan to erect a 15 story office tower on a portion of what is now the PPM building. Then I remember hearing speculation as to what might go in the space when the PPM closed. Some commentor said it would be nice (and more importantly, possible) to have the market serve as a fancy entryway to a high rise built in the atm lot behind the building. I agree. I wonder if the footprint is too small now, though?
 
geesh if that had been built I think preble street would be a whole different vibe these days, especially with bayside development kreeping up the street. it probably would have been more like munument square. The building in the picture looks like its footprint is bigger than the site that is available now that the ppm is built, I wonder what could be built there now.
 
Maybe not quite so tall... I'd hate to see the only cornice on the skyline that tries obscured even more than it is now by the bank sign.
 
Initially, the Public Market was a GREAT space for the community and vendors. It was grand and beautiful with vaulted wood ceilings and a two-story stone fireplace. Functional and dynamic, it included cozy seating and a fun seafood bar. However, it didn't connect to Congress Street and most or many didn't know it was there. The back part was diagonally across from the Preble Street Resource Center and if you've ever walked or driven past that corner, it's a collection of addicts, homeless, and general miscreant activity. This eyesore and safety concern was de facto a part of the back area of the market. So, it was that experience on that end, and then the other or main one, had no real discernable connect to Congress Street. Sadly, it was largely ignored and became a failure. For this to be a success as a market again, the main entrance needs a direct connection to Congress Street, with either a pedestrian street plaza fill-in or an enclosed connect to a reenvisoned 467 Congress. As an office space, it feels a bit weird inside. They have or had isolating cubicles set within a big wide-open beautiful space. Dumb.
 
TC_zoid said:
Initially, the Public Market was a GREAT space for the community and vendors. It was grand and beautiful with vaulted wood ceilings and a two-story stone fireplace. Functional and dynamic, it included cozy seating and a fun seafood bar. However, it didn't connect to Congress Street and most or many didn't know it was there. The back part was diagonally across from the Preble Street Resource Center and if you've ever walked or driven past that corner, it's a collection of addicts, homeless, and general miscreant activity. This eyesore and safety concern was de facto a part of the back area of the market. So, it was that experience on that end, and then the other or main one, had no real discernable connect to Congress Street. Sadly, it was largely ignored and became a failure. For this to be a success as a market again, the main entrance needs a direct connection to Congress Street, with either a pedestrian street plaza fill-in or an enclosed connect to a reenvisoned 467 Congress. As an office space, it feels a bit weird inside. They have or had isolating cubicles set within a big wide-open beautiful space. Dumb.
Click to expand...
Agreed about Congress... but, the Bayside plan. And part of that is turning the bottom floor(s) of the parking garage into incubator/commercial space. It will always be an awkward location, but if West Bayside growth continues, it could make something viable.
 
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