465 Congress Street | Portland

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A better view of the Metro kiosk around 1981.
 
Mark, I found a photo I took from the early 80's showing the pedestal with the top intact and another bus kiosk to the right. Two Monument Square had just been completed and the design competition was underway to decide on what should be developed on the Golden Triangle parcel.
Great photo! You must have had quite the lens!
 
Actually I think it was a Kodak Instamatic pocket camera with a zoom feature which I thought was styling back then! :)
 
You might be on to something there. The heading should have been around 240 degrees or 24 (reciprocal bearing of 060) on top of the building coming from the east to match the historical alignment of the E/W runway. I realize it's only about 3 miles building to airport as the crow flies. Maybe the "6" could be the radio channel (preset VHF frequencies) for the airport tower?
 
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HPB will review a proposal to add an exterior staircase to the back side of the building as part of the plan to convert floors 2-10 to residential. No mention in the documents of the unit arrangement, whether they will be condos, apartments, how many, etc...

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Too bad they never built the building addition in the back on the old site of the theatre. The space in the back is a waste of space for a drive up window for a downtown location.
 
HPB will review a proposal to add an exterior staircase to the back side of the building as part of the plan to convert floors 2-10 to residential. No mention in the documents of the unit arrangement, whether they will be condos, apartments, how many, etc...

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Does it have to be on the side of the building? Maybe they're keeping open the option of something on the back? If it's going to be on the side and very plain then somehow make it different than the rest of the building - dark gray color, glass, different material, etc... if its going to be this prominent and the same color/material as the rest of the structure I think they need to pull some of the Beaux-Arts detailing into it.
 
Also, is this 100% becoming residential? I think it's written that way in the submission, but Boulos is still actively listing the whole building as office.
 
Does it have to be on the side of the building? Maybe they're keeping open the option of something on the back? If it's going to be on the side and very plain then somehow make it different than the rest of the building - dark gray color, glass, different material, etc... if its going to be this prominent and the same color/material as the rest of the structure I think they need to pull some of the Beaux-Arts detailing into it.

This is the back of the building. I only skimmed the materials but there was something about the owners saying residential was the only viable path forward for the building. The location and design of the staircase sounds like it's hemmed in due to both life safety and historic preservation requirements.
 
This is the back of the building. I only skimmed the materials but there was something about the owners saying residential was the only viable path forward for the building. The location and design of the staircase sounds like it's hemmed in due to both life safety and historic preservation requirements.
Oh I see now - as usual I didn't look close enough.
 
It will be interesting when this project conversion to residential is completed, plus the time and temp building gets renovated to hotel, the project from Redfern goes online, and the project next to City Hall get built. Big influx of people on Congress Street should be a great shot of opportunity for stores and restaurants.
 
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Bit more info in the PPH... 56 one and two-bedroom units.


"A few blocks away, on Federal Street, developers are planning to construct the tallest building in Maine, an 18-story mixed-use building that will offer first-floor commercial space and 266 apartments."

Uh, something tells me this reporter hasn't been anywhere near downtown Portland in a while 🤣
 
"A few blocks away, on Federal Street, developers are planning to construct the tallest building in Maine, an 18-story mixed-use building that will offer first-floor commercial space and 266 apartments."

Uh, something tells me this reporter hasn't been anywhere near downtown Portland in a while 🤣
This is what happens when they move the editorial offices out of the city to Running Hill Road. 🤣
 
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Was told yesterday by a manager that M&T Bank has received permission from the city to utilize the the former People's United Bank signage on the roof after requesting another review of their plans.
 
Was told yesterday by a manager that M&T Bank has received permission from the city to utilize the the former People's United Bank signage on the roof after requesting another review of their plans.

I think they took the letters off of the old sign recently. Here's the view from my office (across the street) today.

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