Portland, ME - New Construction Continued

Yeah, Maine Med is great for this section of town. someone posted the links to these renderings (maybe cneal) a while ago, but I didn't think the project would get going as quickly as it seems to have. no community objection? strange. I think this really is great for that area of the city, because the hill on which MMC sites disconnects a vibrant section from a kind of not to happening area. More long range, I look forward to the development of the HUGE area across from the hospital on Bramhall and the tiny area next adjacent to the skybridge which is currently up for sale with potential to build an 80,000 sf office building. Great potential.



Corey said:
I have mixed feelings about a canopy as well. There are certainly places in other cities where similar systems work quite well at keeping the area beneath lively in inclement weather.

We can all agree that it's silly for the hotel to complain about noise since they built it to be as close to the old port area as possible. I don't know if it was an earlier post here or somewhere else but someone made a point about having slept at hotels directly next to airports and not having issues with hearing planes all night. Maybe the Portland Harbor Hotel should have done more planning in the building's design.

Anyhow, does the construction ever stop at Maine Med?

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also notice, corey, that your photo site is on the site's list of recommended blogs
 
Patrick said:
More long range, I look forward to the development of the HUGE area across from the hospital on Bramhall and the tiny area next adjacent to the skybridge which is currently up for sale with potential to build an 80,000 sf office building. Great potential.
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Is the large area across from the hospital that you speak of currently that big parking lot? I agree that since they now have a HUGE parking garage(s), they probably don't need much of that surface parking anymore. It used to be a reservoir back in the day, which is pretty interesting.
 
Library

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New Skin on One Monument Square. It look pretty decent in person.

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thanks for posting these corey; I saw both of these the other day and was wondering if you would show them on here. The library looks nicer than I thought it would. and, I thought the pierce atwood building had stopped renovating or something because the progress seemed to slow down, but then I saw the new panels and I have to say I think it is going to look quite nice
 
It's been a while since being back in P-town - thanks for the updates!
 
They've also been working at night putting in the elevator at the public market. Can't wait to see what that looks like with the brand new entrance, elevator, and old school market sign.

By the way, why wasn't I told how good Big Sky Bread sandwiches are in there? Great reason to visit the market. It's such a clusterfuck in there now though. Really need to get it in some type of walkable order
 
Hello All,
Corey - Thanks for the library pics. I really believe the renovated library will transform Monument Square
 
the library has now completed the corner section, which looks very nice, and the pierce atwood building has completed putting siding all the way to the top in that picture Corey posted. Not too much progress but it shows they are still plugging away at it.

I read the other day in the Portland Daily Sun that the Library does not plan on installing the Urban TV Screen anytime soon. Apparently there isn't even funding for it yet, and it is just an idea to be implemented later if and when the $350k necessary to hook it up and operate it is raised. That would have been the coolest feature of the whole project I think.
 
If they can't afford a screen, maybe even a temporary projector system could shine on that section of the facade when a screen is needed. I think it's a cool feature but I can't think of many uses that justify the cost other than the occasional parade or event in Monument Square. The new glass really looks great, I love the color. It's the only thing like it in Portland.

Also, I went to the rail meeting at USM last night and it was somewhat informative. It's early in the planning stages, but obviously the state's support of rail is important and provides many advantages. Most opposition of course has to to with spending money. The best point of the night was by a member of the Sierra Club who basically said that we pay for roads and bridges for cars and never think about a return-on-investment, so we shouldn't look at passenger and freight rail in Maine as something that has to be a money maker. A few people involved with the Downeaster had some great points as well.
 
Corey, what in the hell is going on with the Downeaster? Their subsidy supposedly ended yesterday and I've seen nowhere that discussed how its going to be picked up by the state? I'm assuming I missed something, but what's going on with that service?
 
Patrick - Thanks! I always enjoy cruise ship season. I plan on going out to the islands soon so I will have more pictures from a similar angle.

Lrfox - I haven't read about that in any of the local news outlets either but it was indeed brought up at the meeting and there is a post about it here on the downeaster riders blog from a couple days ago that explains the situation. Basically, the Downeaster is not in jeopardy and in the event that government funding was cut off, the state of Maine has money set aside to operate it for a full year. The current national funding bill that is being debated is not about whether to provide money for rail but how long the extension of the bill should be. The bill WILL PASS because it apparently affects every passenger rail operation in the country.
 
^Awesome. That's good to know. I wasn't sure whether or not it was just going to stop running today or if there was some contingency plan in place.

Thanks for the link. I'm glad the service will continue. It would seem to be a real backward move not to fund it.
 
yeah I like the angle and the ship but more than that I like the couple admiring both together.

The amtrak line is considering extending a line down western commercial street, towards the old port, as well. They would keep their main station where it is for car passengers to change modes of transportation, and bring a new change over site on a much smaller scale by Becky's diner or before. This is according to Greater Portland Landmarks and Councilor Dave Marshall, who I asked about this stuff back in July. The money is not around yet, but the idea seems to be favored.
 
check this out. follow the link to their site, then wait until all of the renderings appear on the screen. Check out the proposal for the lot behind the civic center on Free Street (next to Margaritas) the one with all of the glass windows and wind turbines. Can anyone save a picture of it and post it, i cant

http://www.kaplanthompson.com/
 
Amtrak service to Brunswick with a stop in Freeport (see second picture) is planned for this summer.

It will be by Bowdoin college with commercial space around it. here is what it will look like

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Patrick said:
check this out. follow the link to their site, then wait until all of the renderings appear on the screen. Check out the proposal for the lot behind the civic center on Free Street (next to Margaritas) the one with all of the glass windows and wind turbines. Can anyone save a picture of it and post it, i cant

http://www.kaplanthompson.com/
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Well, that's.....interesting.

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The veteran's memorial contract should be awarded in March of next year after a designer is picked. There has been talk of a cosponsored PSA/Architalx lecture series on excellence in design of bridges, which could bring Santiago Calatrava to town to speak about the issue (or other notable architects, but he was in the top three). That would be interesting.
 
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