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Patrick
Guest
Great shots! It makes Portland look bigger than what it actually is. It's nice to see the changes to the Intermed since I only get back to Maine once or twice in a two year span. I got to see it in late July when I took the fam for a tour of Portland. I was quite impressed!
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Patrick
Guest
that was intentional. if you include the buildings altogether in a way that leaves how tall they are to the imagination because you cannot see the top, and if you get multiple high rises in the same pic, it looks like the city is large.
also note the new pearl street housing complex
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Patrick
Guest
Call me a cynic, but I really don't find this building attractive at all. It looks like it was built with cheap materials and could fit in in any suburban office park in Anywhere, USA.
I do understand that it's certainly better than what was there before (nothing), and that it fills a gap which are both good things, but I feel like the people of Portland could have hoped for and expected better. This is a building that's going to appear dated as soon as the construction equipment is gone.
Again, it's better than nothing; but the Bayside neighborhood could have expected a bigger step forward than what came in the shape of Intermed and Bayside student apartments (which I toured and are a big dump already). Now, if one of the new Mercy Hospital buildings were in this location, it would be a bigger improvement. Those are nice new constructions.
I do understand that it's certainly better than what was there before (nothing), and that it fills a gap which are both good things, but I feel like the people of Portland could have hoped for and expected better. This is a building that's going to appear dated as soon as the construction equipment is gone.
Again, it's better than nothing; but the Bayside neighborhood could have expected a bigger step forward than what came in the shape of Intermed and Bayside student apartments (which I toured and are a big dump already). Now, if one of the new Mercy Hospital buildings were in this location, it would be a bigger improvement. Those are nice new constructions.
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Patrick
Guest
I agree, but the building does look nice from the angle of the pic. from other angles its not too great. and its shape does not look right. the neighborhood won't be the old port, but neither will it be what it was, as you point out.
the eastern waterfront will be better looking than bayside. the new parking structure has a nice mural on it, and the new marriott is nearing completion of construction. the new design for the art on the tanks is going to look odd. the design on the osher map library is nice, it is global map
the eastern waterfront will be better looking than bayside. the new parking structure has a nice mural on it, and the new marriott is nearing completion of construction. the new design for the art on the tanks is going to look odd. the design on the osher map library is nice, it is global map
portlandneedsnewarena
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Overall I like the building but do find it to be a bit to boxy. I wish it were at least 4 to 6 floors higher. I like the fact that it has a fair amount of vertical glass at one side.
I am not to impressed with the student housing next door to Intermed.
A little more height would have been nice (only 6 floors of office space, 3 of garage), but If the design were better, it could have been a lot more appealing even at this height. the South West Corner (side with silver "Intermed" cap) is passable, but not fantastic. The other 3 are just miserable. Again, I understand it fills a gap and is an improvement over nothing, but combined with Gorham Savings, and Bayside Student Village, I'm VERY underwhelmed with the architectural integrity and density created in the area. The look of the buildings is bad, but when contrasted with Portland's numerous architectural gems, it makes them look even worse. Better than unused open space, but disappointing quality.
I am excited to see how the Eastern Waterfront shapes up. It should be pretty nice when completed. There's a lot of potential in that area.
I am excited to see how the Eastern Waterfront shapes up. It should be pretty nice when completed. There's a lot of potential in that area.
portlandneedsnewarena
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The boxy sides with just punched window openings are quite ugly. Overall I'd give the building's design a B- grade. Then to take the Bayside Student Housing and run it 4 floors and several hundred feet along the highway seams to be a lack of good planning. That building should have been a couple of streets in back of 295.
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Patrick
Guest
I like the southwest corner. but bayside is supposed to be a gateway, which to me means that corner should be facing away from downtown. the design element I don't like is the way the windows on the side for the staircases are connect so they look like fewer floors. the renderings show them as separate windows for each floor. it makes the building look shorter then ten floors.
^Isn't it only about 9 (inc. parking? did I count wrong?)? I never thought about the Southwest corner facing away from downtown, but now that you mention it, it would make a difference and probably look a lot nicer. At least you still have the park on one side (Deering Oaks). It's a pretty little thing.
Completely unrelated, but something that I've been wondering about for the past few weeks. Does anyone have any numbers on the office and retail space vacancy rate in the Portland area? I was always under the impression that they were relatively low, but in the past year it seems as if I can't drive 1/4 mile in Scarborough, S. Portland, Westbrook; or Walk 2 Blocks in town without seeing whole buildings for sale or huge portions with office space or retail space for lease? I can't seem to find a current rate in my search (which admittedly, has been relegated to google).
Completely unrelated, but something that I've been wondering about for the past few weeks. Does anyone have any numbers on the office and retail space vacancy rate in the Portland area? I was always under the impression that they were relatively low, but in the past year it seems as if I can't drive 1/4 mile in Scarborough, S. Portland, Westbrook; or Walk 2 Blocks in town without seeing whole buildings for sale or huge portions with office space or retail space for lease? I can't seem to find a current rate in my search (which admittedly, has been relegated to google).
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Patrick
Guest
the buidling is 10 stories.
the current vacancy rates are likely to be high right now because of the econ. but I'm not sure the market has had a comprehensive survey done in a while. the vacancy rates are low because nothing is built on speculation. but I seem to notice a lot for sale too. and the park is nice, I agree. it used to be water until they filled it in, and it was designed by the son of the guy who designed central park.
they add an additional floor to the parking in intermed when there was some debate about where people would park.
the current vacancy rates are likely to be high right now because of the econ. but I'm not sure the market has had a comprehensive survey done in a while. the vacancy rates are low because nothing is built on speculation. but I seem to notice a lot for sale too. and the park is nice, I agree. it used to be water until they filled it in, and it was designed by the son of the guy who designed central park.
they add an additional floor to the parking in intermed when there was some debate about where people would park.
)
Thanks to everyone who has posted pictures of Intermed and Bayside Village as they have gone up.
I like Bayside Village and similar to the Ocean Gateway garage(beautiful mural on outside of it,) it will look better as retail fills in around it.
Intermed looks really nice as you drive into the city from 295 though not as nice when you are close. The major drawback for me is the parking on the first few floors though I still am pretty pleased with the building. I still believe any development along Marginal Way, no matter your opinion of the buildings, is greater than empty space. It is economic development for Portland and Maine and adds jobs, taxes, and vitality and I am all for it.
I like Bayside Village and similar to the Ocean Gateway garage(beautiful mural on outside of it,) it will look better as retail fills in around it.
Intermed looks really nice as you drive into the city from 295 though not as nice when you are close. The major drawback for me is the parking on the first few floors though I still am pretty pleased with the building. I still believe any development along Marginal Way, no matter your opinion of the buildings, is greater than empty space. It is economic development for Portland and Maine and adds jobs, taxes, and vitality and I am all for it.
Major Bayside office building opens
It's the largest such structure to be built here since Two Portland Square was completed in 1990.
By EDWARD D. MURPHY, Staff Writer
John Patriquin/Staff Photographer
November 1, 2008
John Patriquin/Staff Photographer
This new 110,000-square-foot office building at the intersection of Marginal Way and Preble Street will house a law firm, a health care company, a network engineering company, a specialty pharmacy and a coffee shop.
The largest office building constructed in Portland since the commercial boom of the late 1980s is opening for business.
Drummond Woodsum, a Portland law firm, is expected to move in this weekend and be open for business Monday at 84 Marginal Way, where it will occupy two floors of the 10-story building.
Within a few weeks, Intermed -- a health care company that will be the building's largest tenant, occupying the top four floors -- is expected to open. It will be joined about the same time by WinXnet, a network engineering company, and Apothecary by Design, a specialty pharmacy.
The pharmacy also will operate a coffee shop, the only retail presence in the fully leased, 111,000-square-foot building.
Jim Hanley, chief financial officer of Atlantic National Trust, which developed the building, said 84 Marginal Way's biggest draw, as with most real estate, is location.
"That's a great piece of real estate, because of its proximity to the highway (I-295)," Hanley said.
It also benefits from its location near Back Cove, he said, and the Bayside neighborhood, in which apartment buildings, stores and office buildings have replaced vacant lots and other underused properties in recent years.
Atlantic National also developed two other buildings sharing the Preble Street-Marginal Way intersection with the new office building.
The first, a 54,000-square-foot building occupied by AAA Northern New England, was built in 2002.
A 24,000-square-foot building that houses Gorham Savings Bank followed four years later.
The last major office building comparable in size to be built in the city was Two Portland Square, which is seven stories tall and has about 155,000 square feet of leasable space. It was completed in 1990, about the time the last major recession hit northern New England and put the brakes on major commercial development for at least five years.
After that, development shifted away from downtown to suburban office parks until development of Marginal Way picked up with the AAA building and a state office building that stirred interest in the area.
Hanley said his company is likely to hold off on further development in the area because of the souring economy.
Not only do developers face a harder environment for raising the money needed for construction because of the credit crunch, but prospective tenants also are likely to be reluctant to move until it's clear the economy has turned a corner, Hanley said.
"The economy makes it harder for everyone," he said.
Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:
It's the largest such structure to be built here since Two Portland Square was completed in 1990.
By EDWARD D. MURPHY, Staff Writer
John Patriquin/Staff Photographer
November 1, 2008
John Patriquin/Staff Photographer
This new 110,000-square-foot office building at the intersection of Marginal Way and Preble Street will house a law firm, a health care company, a network engineering company, a specialty pharmacy and a coffee shop.
The largest office building constructed in Portland since the commercial boom of the late 1980s is opening for business.
Drummond Woodsum, a Portland law firm, is expected to move in this weekend and be open for business Monday at 84 Marginal Way, where it will occupy two floors of the 10-story building.
Within a few weeks, Intermed -- a health care company that will be the building's largest tenant, occupying the top four floors -- is expected to open. It will be joined about the same time by WinXnet, a network engineering company, and Apothecary by Design, a specialty pharmacy.
The pharmacy also will operate a coffee shop, the only retail presence in the fully leased, 111,000-square-foot building.
Jim Hanley, chief financial officer of Atlantic National Trust, which developed the building, said 84 Marginal Way's biggest draw, as with most real estate, is location.
"That's a great piece of real estate, because of its proximity to the highway (I-295)," Hanley said.
It also benefits from its location near Back Cove, he said, and the Bayside neighborhood, in which apartment buildings, stores and office buildings have replaced vacant lots and other underused properties in recent years.
Atlantic National also developed two other buildings sharing the Preble Street-Marginal Way intersection with the new office building.
The first, a 54,000-square-foot building occupied by AAA Northern New England, was built in 2002.
A 24,000-square-foot building that houses Gorham Savings Bank followed four years later.
The last major office building comparable in size to be built in the city was Two Portland Square, which is seven stories tall and has about 155,000 square feet of leasable space. It was completed in 1990, about the time the last major recession hit northern New England and put the brakes on major commercial development for at least five years.
After that, development shifted away from downtown to suburban office parks until development of Marginal Way picked up with the AAA building and a state office building that stirred interest in the area.
Hanley said his company is likely to hold off on further development in the area because of the souring economy.
Not only do developers face a harder environment for raising the money needed for construction because of the credit crunch, but prospective tenants also are likely to be reluctant to move until it's clear the economy has turned a corner, Hanley said.
"The economy makes it harder for everyone," he said.
Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:
Hello All,
I will tell you with the commercial real estate market dead for the time being Intermed looks better for Portland all the time and looked better to me when I drove to Portland on New Years Day.
Healthy and prosperous 2009 to everyone.
Matt
I will tell you with the commercial real estate market dead for the time being Intermed looks better for Portland all the time and looked better to me when I drove to Portland on New Years Day.
Healthy and prosperous 2009 to everyone.
Matt