The Casco | 201 Federal Street | Portland

Catherine, maybe some of those vintage bricks can be salvaged and put to use in the pocket park in some type of manner, maybe as part of a walkway or fountain wall? Could be a nice way to tie in a little history and a tribute to what was on the lot during the "olden days" :)
 
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um1990 said:
It is so Awesome that you are part of this forum!

If it is also from the previous building, then that is a very well preserved banana peel :)

Any movement on the CMP issues?
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Ugh. Still waiting. They said this week but I assume that’s not happening since it’s basically Thursday. ~ C
 
PWMFlyer said:
Jimmy Hoffa????
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Haha! Th
Portlander said:
Catherine, maybe some of those vintage bricks can be salvaged and put to use in the pocket park in some type of manner, maybe as part of a walkway or fountain wall? Could be a nice way to tie in a little history and a tribute to what was on the lot during the "olden days" :)
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That’s a good idea. Still mulling that one around in my head. Worried about that feature wall only being dynamic in summer-fall. I think some of the old roofing material is stuck in my boot!
 
How big is that retail space ? Whole first floor? I know there was talk of like grocery type place. A smaller version of bow street market in Freeport would be cool. Nothing against Rosemont but please not another one of those.

oh and awesome picture on last page of the overhead view of the Golden Triangle so I can finally see exact location of a certain place that was there in the 60’s
 
Portcity75 said:
How big is that retail space ? Whole first floor? I know there was talk of like grocery type place. A smaller version of bow street market in Freeport would be cool. Nothing against Rosemont but please not another one of those.
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I doubt there’s any way this retail space would have enough room for a full service grocery store, but I’ve always thought that Hannaford or Shaws should open an “express” type store downtown. A scaled down store with a selection of meat, fresh produce and daily essentials. It would also be great for people who live on the peninsula and want to just walk or bike to get a few things rather than having to drive out to a larger grocery store.

I do love Rosemont and the Food CoOp, But they do tend to be quite a bit more expensive and aren’t great for day-to-day grocery needs, at least for me.
 
The retail square footage is not that large and my guess would be something similar to Joe's Super Variety located in the Hiawatha apartment building which is also a well done Redfern development. Catherine, would it be possible to add a diagram of the building's ground floor footprint and how it fits on the lot and possibly any new renderings showing the entire tower? Can't fault a guy for asking!
 
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Redfern said:
Worried about that feature wall only being dynamic in summer-fall.
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Here are my unfiltered ideas:

A starry sky type of thing - this one is fiber and I believe the individual "stars" can "twinkle." I realize it could easily be cheesy, hard to say. Could also be expensive.
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Maybe as simple as additional up/side/down lighting on the wall that is only used in winter/spring?

What if something sculptural is added to the front bench area (or maybe out of the wall itself) to visually break up the flat surface? In my mind it would be relatively symmetrical - like those rock sculptures that have been installed at Fish Point. This would alter the wall year round, but might make the flat surface more palatable in winter/spring, especially if there was additional lighting?
 
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View from above in 1970 showing where the first building (3 story) was razed and converted into a small parking lot. One Monument Square is close to being topped off and Franklin Towers has just been completed.
 
Portlander said:
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View from above in 1970 showing where the first building (3 story) was razed and converted into a small parking lot. One Monument Square is close to being topped off and Franklin Towers has just been completed.
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I'll express my likely unpopular opinion again, but I would have much rather kept the old buildings than to have One City Center or the Nickelodeon & attached garage. These should have been built behind One Portland Square and made a cluster of towers there instead. I really just hate how Portland tore so much down; it's maddening. I want the train stations back. I want the theaters back. I want the beautiful churches back. You can even see the "Top of the Old Port" which is just a gigantic parking lot now. The waste, the lack of vision. It's just so frustrating.
 
I feel your frustration and respect your opinion Daniel. I lived through a lot of it but sadly they're NOT coming back and fortunately Portland's urban renewal scars aren't nearly as deep as many other cities across the country. If you were to do some research to determine whether the structural conditions, handicap, fire and safety codes made it financially feasible to renovate these torn down structures you'd find that most of them were not. Try and appreciate what has been saved over the last 50 years and maybe get involved with the local historic preservation groups or city government so you can be proactive and help guide Portland's future if your convictions are that strong. Best.
 
If the golden triangle wasn’t taken by the city then I wouldn’t have been born/. Following the butterfly effect.
 
I recall stories at the time that the construction of One City Center entailed the first use of a tower crane in Maine.
 
Can't wait to see a much taller tower crane across the street and would expect to be hearing a date for the official groundbreaking any day now.
 
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