Recent content by markhb

Wait, what are they doing?? Is way too tall, and is that LIMESTONE? Not red brick?? Completely out of place and all wrong for Portland.

I think the answer to your first question is no. It's worth noting that most Portlanders don't live in the urban core; they live in the predominantly single-family home neighborhoods off-peninsula (conclusion drawn from the city council districts). And I know we like to cry NIMBY here, but the...

A couple of notes: Portland never defunded the police; they've got a ton of openings (with signing bonuses) that they can't fill. And I would argue that administering Narcan to the same individuals week after week is probably at least as demoralizing as arresting them, if not more. I don't know...

I dug a little more into those properties around Bayside.... This is around the intersection of Somerset & Franklin. Note first the little stub I highlighted in green, which I guess is technically a bit of Wilmot St. The lot in blue (131 Wilmot), along with the Verizon building on the corner...

I like that they kept the O.G. sign for the Dry Dock! Anyone up for reopening Eddie's Shamrock Cafe in the Benkay building?

If I were king of Portland, I would be trying to get rail-conducive industrial uses onto Presumpscot St. and get that line restarted! Eldredge Lumber is there, one would think they would be able to take rail shipments. Nappi and Cumberland & York Distributors used to be side-by-side out there...

The parcel highlighted with the blue marker is the E. Perry site, which as I said is still owned by E. Perry. The portion of the other highlight that lies between Somerset and Kennebec (straight off the end of the storage building) is owned by something called the Howles Corporation, which also...

I got my first pair of glasses at that Pearle Vision!

I wish there could be a current-day photo of me on my way to Carbur's for lunch! Mmm that menu! (Truth be told, I'd also happily settle for some sustenance, merriment and cheer at Horsefeathers!) I had forgotten about that carved wayfinder map! The trees at Tommy's Park have grown so well...

The details of the settlement say that Federated will provide a quitclaim deed to Lot 6, so that's in there, too. According to the assessor's DB, E. Perry still owns their land.

I don't remember that version of the Coke sign, but I remember when it had a red-circle "Drink Coca-Cola" that did all kinds of crazy neon tricks at night. One of the first "city" things that blew my young mind! I love the weather indicators on the WCSH billboard... and note that, at the time...

Seeing it this way makes me realize: in 1972 the Canal Plaza space wasn't even completely cleared yet. By 1982 Canal National Bank no longer existed. We should have a poll: which was your favorite paint job on the side of the Tommy's Park building? Whatever the business name is in the 1972...

I have to wonder how high things could have gotten had they gone to court, if the settlement is for $15M. My hunch is that there was some concern that the "no you can't build a hotel" stipulation was going to turn out very badly for the city. I can picture some of our city councilors...

That 1972 shot is pretty damn rare! The Golden Triangle is cleared, and so is the Falmouth Hotel, but pretty much everything else in the pic is intact*, including the original path of Temple St. I'm also confused because the gambrel building facing Tommy's Park appears to be even with the rest...

It took out the left-field bleacher section, the birthday party picnic area, AND a chunk of the already-cramped handicapped parking. And one thing in that article that the Press Herald (which has more photos) also got wrong: MLB didn't take over the minor league affiliates, it took over the...