General Portland Discussion

Back to architecture... thoughts on the door kerfluffle? I mean, I get it, there are federal rules around this stuff and they don't want to blow up the preservation tax breaks. But aside from that, they're gorgeous and I wish they could stay; the "faux history" argument strikes me as unduly overwrought.
 
Back to architecture... thoughts on the door kerfluffle? I mean, I get it, there are federal rules around this stuff and they don't want to blow up the preservation tax breaks. But aside from that, they're gorgeous and I wish they could stay; the "faux history" argument strikes me as unduly overwrought.

It's absurd and strikes me as nothing more than pedantic bureaucratic micromanaging.

Portland (and New England as a whole) had extensive trading with British and Spanish Carribean colonies in the 18th and 19th century. New England ports traded extensively in rum, sugar, tobacco, beans and cotton from the Carribean....So much so that the southern landowning aristocracy often accused New England seafaring merchants of being the "Hati Lobby"

Historically, It's completely reasonable that an establishment in Portland would have a door from Puerto Rico. There are lots of doors and decorative fixtures on old Portland buildings made from non-native tropical woods for that reason.
 
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I took a shot at 'em in the PPH today.

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How can you say "Hispanic culture is poorly represented" when we have an establishment that, accurately, bills itself as "Maine's only bodega"??? :giggle:
 
I was triggered by this....you can read 2 of my comments in the PPH.....one of them focuses on power poles and lines of course.😉
Agree with you 100% but I think most Mainers don't even see them. They walk around in the same LL Bean clothing and footwear, year after year. They don't see that either. Old, weathered, and sameness.
 
I like LL Bean outerwear and bedding…that’s about it though. I find their clothing too pricey.
 
From today's follow-up:
Papi co-founder LyAnna Sanabria said last week that the restaurant brought the doors from Old San Juan in Puerto Rico and they were meant to reflect the culture and vibe of the restaurant.

They replaced a single, wooden door with a glass upper half. Before that, there had been wooden double doors with three-quarters length glass panes.
Emphasis added.
 
I think the city is in a kind of panic state with this incident now, that their draconian subjective idea of what is historically appropriate or necessary could be culturally inappropriate. Face it. The Old Port harkens back to an era when everyone in Portland (and Maine) looked and acted within narrow boundaries. To this day, I still find the city's ignorance and disrespect to the importance of the Abyssinian Meeting House startling. Go to Papi during an evening on the weekend. It will transport you to another place, something not seen in Maine--ever. It's not just the food, drink, and decor. The staff are young, attractive, effusively friendly, and Hispanic. There is a little cubby hole table in the back that is a photographic moment if I've ever seen one. Joshua Miranda of Blyth & Burrows was key in the supervision of the design of this restaurant. He understands the importance of history as much or more than anyone. The front doors of Papi are effective in the architecture of this entire design because it's the first impression before entering. Portland is changing, and we should be working to assist those that have new ideas instead of forcing a continuance of the old. The Old Port is derivative in architectural style of Victorian England, when buildings were built primarily with granite and stone and everything was dark in color because they burned coal for energy back then, and the resulting soot then blanketed the buildings. It wasn't until the 1970s that the buildings in London finally became soot free due to extensive cleanings. They were allowed to clean the soot from the buildings due to the Clean Air Act of 1956. So, much of the Old Port's derivative look and feel is due to burning coal, a fossil fuel! Maybe it all simply needs a good power wash (metaphor). Lol.
 
I didn’t even know about this restaurant until this happened…hopefully it will be good for business!
 
Great point. Remember the O Bag (Italian build your handbag) across from Canal Plaza? That flopped too. How's the English place doing? -- Fat Face. Fat chance probably in Portland, Maine. But the summer business might keep it going. I think Papi will be around for awhile.
 

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