Historic Portland Discussion

Cosakita18 said:
The newly built Franklin towers in 1969. Despite the Franklin Arterial project (Still under construction in this photo) You can still see a lot of old rowhouses and commercial buildings lining Pearl and Congress Streets. Really highlights how a whole mini-neighborhood was lost between City Hall and Franklin.
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The church was First Baptist; they made the deliberate decision as a congregation to have their building demolished when they moved to Canco Road, because they preached abstinence from alcohol and didn't want to have their building potentially become a restaurant (as Grace eventually would).
 
markhb said:
Beyond that, the "human scale" (i.e., shorter buildings) argument was very powerful in Portland for a very long time. Couple that with the overall goal of being the financial and legal center for a state of roughly a million mostly poor people and the extra costs of building higher, and the fact that many of these early towers were built on or near the site of the respective banks' existing headquarters, and the way it evolved makes sense.
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To me, this is definitely an underappreciated factor. I think a lot of people tend to forget how much of an economic backwater Maine was throughout the 60's 70's and 80's. There wasn't a need to build much beyond 10 stories.

I recall hearing somewhere (I don't remember where or whether this is apocryphal or not) but One Canal Plaza was originally intended to be twice as tall (20 stories) but was scaled down due mostly to the economic fallout of the oil crisis and timeless concerns about shadows and wind
 
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^ The church was also dealing with structural and water damage issues at the time and the cost to renovate were not financially feasible.
 
Portlander said:
Not so pretty Portland around 1971 and a reminder that not all buildings are financially or historically suitable for saving.
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For reference: although I don't remember these buildings, I do know that everything from Joe & Nino's Circus Room to the left are where the Middle St. side of the Nickelodeon is now. Everything to the right of that Ballantine Ale sign, except for the lowrise newsstand barely visible where Tommy's Park is, still stands.
 
Cosakita18 said:
To me, this is definitely an underappreciated factor. I think a lot of people tend to forget how much of an economic backwater Maine was throughout the 60's 70's and 80's. There wasn't a need to build much beyond 10 stories.

I recall hearing somewhere (I don't remember where or whether this is apocryphal or not) but One Canal Plaza was originally intended to be twice as tall (20 stories) but was scaled down due to the timeless concerns about shadows and wind and "overshadowing" surrounding buildings.
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That was One Monument Square which was Casco Bank's new headquarters after many years in the Chapman Building. The decision to shrink it down to 10 floors was actually based on finances and the economic uncertainty of downtown Portland at the time and whether the additional floors the bank was not using could be leased. Excellent point on the need in Maine for buildings that exceed 10 stories. The only other substantial office buildings in Maine outside of Portland are the former Key Bank (state offices now) in Augusta that tops out at 9 floors and the former Merrill Bank (Camden National now) in Bangor that has 8 floors.
 
Portlander said:
That was One Monument Square which was Casco Bank's new headquarters after many years in the Chapman Building. The decision to shrink it down to 10 floors was actually based on finances and the economic uncertainty of downtown Portland at the time and whether the additional floors the bank was not using could be leased.
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Definitely one of those "what if" scenarios...if the fist modern office building downtown had been 15-20 stories it would have set a very different precedent for future development.
 
markhb said:
I'll agree to disagree on 511 because it's genuinely my favorite tower from that era, and that includes the plaza where I spent many hours in Bookland and Deering Ice Cream. I do think it looked better with the original Maine Savings "ONE" signage on the mechanical cover.

Beyond that, the "human scale" (i.e., shorter buildings) argument was very powerful in Portland for a very long time. Couple that with the overall goal of being the financial and legal center for a state of roughly a million mostly poor people and the extra costs of building higher, and the fact that many of these early towers were built on or near the site of the respective banks' existing headquarters, and the way it evolved makes sense.

511 Congress: Maine Savings, earlier office survives largely intact on Casco St.
1 Monument Square: Casco Bank, HQ was on Exchange (signage still visible I believe)
2 Monument Square: I believe Maine Guaranty moved in here, on the site of their former HQ, after it was built
The one with the post office next to 201 Federal: Modernized HQ for Maine National Bank, original building next door on Exchange
Canal Plaza: Canal Bank, which was purchased by Depositors Trust (HQ in the building where Enterprise Car Rental is now near Marginal Way & Forest Ave.), shortly before they in turn were bought by Key Bank. Their former HQ is across Middle St., signage still visible.

Portland Savings made a big deal out of NOT spending money on a fancy new building in that era even as they adopted new marketing dress as "THE BANK... Portland Savings." They wouldn't move out of the Time & Temp building until the 80's, as Peoples Heritage, when they went to One Portland Square.
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Pleasant memories aside, 511 Congress is ugly IMHO and the plaza space wasteful. Being "lucky" to have had these buildings built at all doesn't mean they were worth building or are well-designed. Neither does fond memories or nostalgia. It's also not as if Portland didn't have the extra space for taller buildings in One City Center, One Portland Square, Canal, Top of the Old Port.

And while these buildings may have been expensive to renovate, they wouldn't have been any more expensive than the renovations that occurred in the Old Port in the 80's and 90's. To say they weren't worth it is a shrug. You can't replicate this kind of character once it's gone. And these buildings are far more attractive than what is there now.

Yes, much of what One City Center replaced wasn't worth saving. One building on the corner had a massive fire. But the row of buildings on Temple where the Nickelodeon and Parking Garage are now were of the same quality of the rest of the buidings in the Old Port. I'd rather see these buildings than the ugly Nickelodeon/Garage. AGAIN - it's not like there wasn't space for this crap to be built elsewhere.

Other visionless examples are the loss of Union and Grand Trunk Stations, Opera House, Post Office. No one seemed to think these buildings could have been repurposed for restaurants, public markets, retail, etc. It's the epitome of shortsightedness.

I'm not a staunch preservationist. I'd love Portland to have 50+ story buildings clad in glass and beautiful architecture. But 511 Congress, 1 & 2 Monument Square, Canal Plaza ... are all UGLY AF. And if it means they never got built, I'd rather that have been the case and wait for something better to come along (like One & Two Portland Square). Fat bottomed girls might make the rockin' world go 'round, but fat bottomed buildings are a stupid waste.

Cheers.
 
Cosakita I agree, at least the two story crown on top of One Monument Square gave the building a little more visibility in the skyline than if it had a traditional flat roof.
 
Portlander said:
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An early summer evening on Congress Street in the late 60's. It was sad when the city had to remove the trees in front of the Longfellow House due to Dutch Elm Disease I think?
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What was the little coffee shop across the street from Woolworth's called? I remember way back my mom taking me here as a runt and I loved it--great burgers and desserts. My dad worked in the Masonic Temple building and after seeing him (and going up and down in that wonderful old rickety metal cage elevator with operator), we would go here after.
 
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The other Congress Street rotary. My parents used to cruise Congress Street in the mid 50's in my Dad's 1956 Pontiac convertible with the radio blasting from Longfellow to Monument Square. Then I was born which put an end to that fun time gig!
 
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Portlander said:
View attachment 35610
The other Congress Street rotary. My parents used to cruise Congress Street in the mid 50's in my Dad's 1956 Pontiac convertible with the radio blasting from Longfellow to Monument Square. Then I was born which put an end to that good time gig!
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The building on the corner of State and Pine is beautiful and I'm glad it survived (with some modifications) Personally I like the late 20s retail addition. It actives that corner really nicely.

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Funniest quote of the day goes to DanielPWM19 with his "pleasant memories aside" comment (#27) that got me laughing on a thread that is supposed to embrace history and happy excursions down nostalgia lane. Well payed Daniel! :)
 
Cosakita18 said:
Arguably the earliest "cityscape" photo taken of Portland. Middle Street in 1846 looking east towards Exchange Street.
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The building with the large cast iron dome was the Merchants' Exchange, which had been built some time earlier as part of Portland's case for being the permanent state capital. It burned in the 1850's, but it has haunted me ever since I first saw a photo of it. I believe that everything else here was destroyed no later than the 1866 Great Fire. (Because of the fire, you also can't trust the street layout to line up with the present day; I think the Exchange was on the site of Post Office Park, but that could be wrong.)

But damn, just try to find a place to buy feathers on the peninsula these days.
 
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Farewell to the Libby Building around 1981, the structure across the street in Congress Square would be demolished soon after.
 
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The beautiful Post Office building which was torn down and used as a government parking lot until it was eventually turned into the current "Post Office" park. This mistake is number one on my personal list of Portland's lost buildings with Union Station coming in second.
 
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