Portland, ME - New Construction Continued

Portlander said:
markhb, a positive note for 2MS in my opinion is the use of the tan colored brick which is a nice change up from the numerous red brick structures downtown and it's profile on the Federal Street side is an improvement design wise from the Congress Street view. The Planning Board should have never allowed the developer to place the garage entrance on Congress Street.

Of course the exteriors of the Time & Temp, Peoples United Bank, Masonic, City Hall and the Courthouse complex give Portland a classic and substantial feel and will always be my favorites. What is your take on the overall design and appearance of 511 Congress?
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It's interesting that, for all that people talk about brick being Portland's signature, the public buildings downtown as well as the two oldest skyscrapers are all faced with granite. To the list you just gave, I'd add the library, although when it was built someone observed that it should win an award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Making Granite Look like Concrete.

I'll grant that the street-level of 2MS is OK from the Federal Street side, with the globes set in homage to the old ones (before my time) at Deering Oaks. But for the most part, my only interaction with the building is to view it as part of the skyline, particularly from the Boulevard, and I've already stated what it does for me in that context ;) .

Regarding 511, I think the one big issue with it is that it lost its signature element, the "ONE" Maine Savings logo seen in this picture. (Note: the Portland History page on FB now requests no reposting of photos w/out permission, so I linked instead.) No other tenants have signed that space, unfortunately, even though e.g. the Fleet Bank boat logo would have fit nicely when they were in there. The window/structure ratio of the building itself is high, which I like, and the blackish appearance is a nice contrast to the ochre and beige that cover most of the newer parts of the skyline. I personally don't have an issue with plazas so that doesn't bother me. If I wanted to pretend that I know more than I do, I'd say that maybe it doesn't relate terribly well to the original MSB building on Casco St., to which it was effectively an extension in the same way that the Payson Building is an extension to the Sweat Gallery, but that would be both pretentious and disingenuous on my part :) .
 
I also liked the ONE logo on the upper left portion of 511 Congress Street and it gave the the building that corporate vibe. A friend of mind who helps manage the building has told me that they have had issues with that exterior portion that was designed to hide the mechanical equipment. Some metal strips/framing are visibly missing and I do not think the structural integrity will now support illuminated signage which is why naming rights have been applied to the actual brick facade on both sides of the structure. Building owner has not decided what to do with that section yet and hopefully we'll see an entire exterior make over in the future. Building is almost 40 years old!

Forgot about the library facade and I do appreciate how it blends with the Fidelity Building. I also love the seven story Clapp Building with it's brown brick and granite trim. The entire corridor from the "Time and Temperature Building" down to City Hall looks very substantial and is one of Portland's best views from an urban standpoint.
 
markhb said:
It's interesting that, for all that people talk about brick being Portland's signature, the public buildings downtown as well as the two oldest skyscrapers are all faced with granite. To the list you just gave, I'd add the library, although when it was built someone observed that it should win an award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Making Granite Look like Concrete.

I'll grant that the street-level of 2MS is OK from the Federal Street side, with the globes set in homage to the old ones (before my time) at Deering Oaks. But for the most part, my only interaction with the building is to view it as part of the skyline, particularly from the Boulevard, and I've already stated what it does for me in that context ;) .

Regarding 511, I think the one big issue with it is that it lost its signature element, the "ONE" Maine Savings logo seen in this picture. (Note: the Portland History page on FB now requests no reposting of photos w/out permission, so I linked instead.) No other tenants have signed that space, unfortunately, even though e.g. the Fleet Bank boat logo would have fit nicely when they were in there. The window/structure ratio of the building itself is high, which I like, and the blackish appearance is a nice contrast to the ochre and beige that cover most of the newer parts of the skyline. I personally don't have an issue with plazas so that doesn't bother me. If I wanted to pretend that I know more than I do, I'd say that maybe it doesn't relate terribly well to the original MSB building on Casco St., to which it was effectively an extension in the same way that the Payson Building is an extension to the Sweat Gallery, but that would be both pretentious and disingenuous on my part :) .
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Slight correction, if you are counting the Fidelity bldg. as one of Portland's two oldest skyscrapers (as it is) it is not faced in granite but rather Indiana Bedford Limestone on two sides and brick elsewhere. I wrote an article for Portland Magazine on the history of Portland high-rises in 2011, so I actually researched that! If anyone's interested let me know and I may be able to email a copy.
 
Slight correction, if you are counting the Fidelity bldg. as one of Portland's two oldest skyscrapers (as it is) it is not faced in granite but rather Indiana Bedford Limestone on two sides and brick elsewhere. I wrote an article for Portland Magazine on the history of Portland high-rises in 2011, so I actually researched that! If anyone's interested let me know and I may be able to email a copy.
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Thanks; I was definitely counting the Fidelity and didn't realize it was limestone rather than granite (look at it for a lifetime and you stop noticing those details ;) ). I'd love to see a copy of that article; should I PM you my email address?

The Portland Phoenix (yes, Bostonians, we still have a print edition of that thing up here) ran an article last week on the recent development controversies. Of course, being the Phoenix, they titled it "Portland vs. her People", and throughout the article they make it sound like the electorate is nearly unanimous in its opposition to the leaders they elected.
 
markhb said:
Thanks; I was definitely counting the Fidelity and didn't realize it was limestone rather than granite (look at it for a lifetime and you stop noticing those details ;) ). I'd love to see a copy of that article; should I PM you my email address?

The Portland Phoenix (yes, Bostonians, we still have a print edition of that thing up here) ran an article last week on the recent development controversies. Of course, being the Phoenix, they titled it "Portland vs. her People", and throughout the article they make it sound like the electorate is nearly unanimous in its opposition to the leaders they elected.
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Sure, PM me your email and I'll send the PDF. For now, here's a teaser: http://www.portlandmonthly.com/portmag/2011/06/anatomy-of-a-skyline/

Also, I agree with your implied criticism of the Phoenix article. I did find, however, that after reading it there was more of a balanced perspective presented than the title let on. I really enjoyed the perspective of Christian Milneal, also a poster on this site, regarding the logical outcome of opposition to midtown.
 
Avesta project on Cumberland Avenue:

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The completed Danforth on High building:

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While the Portland Planning Board doesn't have much for projects on the docket this week, it does have one gem. The Planning Dept. Staff have created a draft summary map of Portland height regulations (warning:pDF), consolidating all the various zoning regs, contract zones, and overlays into one document (at least for the peninsula and Thompson's Point). It's a very nice piece of work.
 
looks like Munjoy Heights is getting ready to start.went by there today Wright-Ryan is there tearing up the ground
 
Also checked out the Munjoy Heights progress as noted above by tazzman. Pretty impressive that they are building on this incline. I think this one will turn out well.

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From Walnut Street:
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Casco Bay Lines ferry terminal expansion:
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The development on neighboring Maine Wharf (shooting into the sun):
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And here's a link to the Spring 2014 newsletter by the City's Planning and Urban Development department.
 
The Hyatt has on their website that they're now accepting bookings starting June 26.

The Courtyard is saying they'll be open next month, but the site accepts bookings starting June 12.
 
I'm new to this blog, hope I can add some worthy insight. So, I walked by the Hyatt the other day and noticed the signage is primarily in dark brown, and the exterior of the hotel of course, is medium grey. This juxtaposition of colors isn't working for me (it's not normally a match in the design or fashion worlds), what about all of you? It's too bad as I love the location, building form, and the funky corner windows. This hotel is going to make this area pop on warm weekend nights this summer.
 
Yeah that hotel is just a bunch of odd parts together.

The big corner sign is colorful and I'm interested to see it lit up. The exterior of the building looks like the inside and I'm not sure if they're done or not. The floor glass will loook great. The oddly shaped corner glass....I'm not sure about that yet.

That said, I think the first floor of the new Commercial street hotel looks great with all the glass and stone
 
Thanks for the pics, Corey! I hadn't been down since they added the signs. (I also like the slightly tilted angle you took the first photo at.... maybe it makes the crazy glass seem crazier :) ).
 
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