P
Patrick
Guest
These days, downtown' Portland's looking up
To a lot of longtime Mainers, the several loft condo projects now being built on Congress Street raise one big question: Why would anyone want to live there?
These are the Mainers who remember a time, 15 or 20 years ago, when the city's main downtown artery was dotted with empty storefronts. And living in an apartment above the empty storefronts, as buses and trucks bustled in traffic below most of the day, didn't seem that appealing.
But today, Congress Street is an arts and leisure destination, with operas and symphonies at Merrill Auditorium and paintings and sculptures at the Portland Museum of Art. In between there are restaurants, boutiques, an L.L. Bean outlet, and art galleries.
And the three loft condo projects smack in the middle of that stretch -- 537 Lofts, Winslow Lofts at 547A, and Kimball Court at 490 -- are attracting a wide range of people looking for an urban lifestyle in a relatively safe, walkable city with arts and culture.
Some are baby boomers looking for active retirement locales, which is part of a national trend. Others are people from big cities looking for an urban lifestyle on a smaller scale. Some are young professionals working in Portland already. Others are people who grew up in Maine and want to come back.
"I was looking for a place to retire to that was a small city, on the water, with an international airport," said Linda Shorey, a lawyer who grew up in Palmyra, north of Waterville, but is currently living and working in Harrisburg, Pa. "If I was rich, I'd retire to New York City. But when I started looking around for places in Portland, I realized it had everything I was looking for."
Shorey, who says she is five to seven years from retirement, bought a 2,000-square-foot loft condo at 537 Lofts with her husband last fall. The couple plan to use it as a weekend home until they retire and move there permanently.
Their loft is a completely new unit on the top floor of an old brick building built in the 1800s. They have views of the Maine College of Art across the street and of Casco Bay beyond. The first floor of their building houses retail, including a Mister Bagel, but the gourmet restaurant 555 and the hip bar/lounge The White Heart are only a few steps away.
"I love it that I can walk to the library and to the great independent bookstores Portland has," said Shorey. "And to all the restaurants -- Walter's, Natasha's, Mims. I think Norm's is my favorite."
CITY LIVING POPULAR AGAIN
Local real estate agents who have been selling the dozens of new loft condos on Congress Street, and others on the peripheries of downtown, say that Portland's amenities are a big draw. But they also feel the boom is part of a larger shift in attitudes -- people wanting to live in cities again.
"I think it's a new attraction to the city, that you can put on your feet and go," said Nan Sawyer, a Realtor who has sold units at Chestnut Street Lofts, which is slated to be finished in June.
And even though downtown Portland has homeless people, traffic and other things you'd associate with a city, there's probably less of those than in many cities.
Sawyer said that Portland's nearly constant mentions in national publications as a great place to visit and live help attract people, as does the fact that the condo projects feature new construction. That means low maintenance and that they can be tailored to a buyer's wishes.
"These are people looking for a city space they can define themselves," said Sawyer.
The several condo projects being built now on or near Congress Street are attracting a variety of people, partly because the price range is pretty wide. Prices range from around $200,000 for a one-bedroom to more than $1 million. One 3,100-square-foot unit at 537 Lofts has a rooftop cupola and patio with a 360-degree view of Back Cove, Casco Bay and every rooftop in between. It is on the market for $1,250,000. 537 Lofts has 10 units, and they're all on the top floor.
The 37 units at Chestnut Street Lofts, a block off Congress behind City Hall, are priced mostly in the $200,000 to $400,000 range. One of those has been bought by Jean McDevitt, 33, a senior manager at an accounting firm in Portland. McDevitt grew up in the small Down East town of Lamoine, has lived in suburban Cumberland, and decided she wants to live in downtown Portland.
"Portland has a lot to offer now, and it's a safe city," said McDevitt, who bought an 1,100-square-foot unit. "I'm looking forward to walking to work, to restaurants, to coffee shops, to the Merrill Auditorium and the library."
McDevitt says that even though she's long thought Portland has a lot to offer, she wouldn't want to live downtown in an "old building." So the fact that she could buy a place that is brand new appeals to her. As does the fact that there will be other homeowners up and down Congress Street as well.
Newly built loft condos have not been widely available on the stretch of Congress Street between Congress Square and City Hall, but suddenly there are more than 70 condo units -- either recently sold or for sale -- in that area.
And the fact that there is a burst of home ownership in the area now may attract more condo developers and more potential buyers who want to live downtown and want to own their own new home.
"It's very exciting, because Portland is a vibrant city downtown, but it's not a 24/7 city, and the way you become that is to have people choosing to live downtown," said Jan Beitzer, executive director of Portland's Downtown District. "The investment that is being made (in the condo projects) clearly shows that people want to live downtown."
A SPECIAL LIFESTYLE
One of the new Congress Street residents is Patricia Nick, an artist who ran Vinalhaven Press printmaking studio for many years. Because of Vinalhaven Press, Nick knew Charlie Hewitt, the artist who helped developed the Kimball Court loft condos at 490 Congress St. The first floor of the condo building features Whitney Art Works, a gallery that is hosting an exhibition of Hewitt's work.
Nick, 70, knew of Portland because of her trips to Vinalhaven every summer. But in the winter she lived in New York, in various neighborhoods such as Chelsea and Soho. But often to get to anything outside of her neighborhood required a very long walk, cab ride or subway ride.
Nick likes the fact that in her new Portland home, she's a five-minute walk or less from everywhere she wants to be: the art museum, galleries, the library, the Cumberland County Civic Center, the Merrill Auditorium, the Maine College of Art.
"I thought this would be a marvelous place to live, but I didn't realize what a special lifestyle it is until I moved here," said Nick, who moved into her condo in October. "I think that a lot of people looking for an urban, sophisticated place to live are going to be drawn to Portland."
Barbara Rosencranz, another artist, said she and her husband bought a loft at Chestnut Street Lofts at least partly because she's always wanted a city loft -- a big wide-open place with lots of windows and lots of light. A place where she could paint.
"In any other city we've lived, Boston, New York, buying a loft would be inconceivable," said Rosencranz, 56. "It's a dramatic way to live. And what we like about Portland is you have city things only a short walk away."
Rosencranz's husband, Jerry, is an online bookseller, so he can live just about anywhere. And the couple's children are grown.
Another buyer in the Chestnut Street Lofts building is Barbara Connolly, 54, who lives in Kittery but has lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She now spends a lot of time in Portsmouth, N.H., which she calls a "great little city."
But she thinks Portland has even more to do and she wants her loft to be her second home.
"To have a place right downtown, to have all the museums and restaurants, is just great," said Connolly.
To a lot of longtime Mainers, the several loft condo projects now being built on Congress Street raise one big question: Why would anyone want to live there?
These are the Mainers who remember a time, 15 or 20 years ago, when the city's main downtown artery was dotted with empty storefronts. And living in an apartment above the empty storefronts, as buses and trucks bustled in traffic below most of the day, didn't seem that appealing.
But today, Congress Street is an arts and leisure destination, with operas and symphonies at Merrill Auditorium and paintings and sculptures at the Portland Museum of Art. In between there are restaurants, boutiques, an L.L. Bean outlet, and art galleries.
And the three loft condo projects smack in the middle of that stretch -- 537 Lofts, Winslow Lofts at 547A, and Kimball Court at 490 -- are attracting a wide range of people looking for an urban lifestyle in a relatively safe, walkable city with arts and culture.
Some are baby boomers looking for active retirement locales, which is part of a national trend. Others are people from big cities looking for an urban lifestyle on a smaller scale. Some are young professionals working in Portland already. Others are people who grew up in Maine and want to come back.
"I was looking for a place to retire to that was a small city, on the water, with an international airport," said Linda Shorey, a lawyer who grew up in Palmyra, north of Waterville, but is currently living and working in Harrisburg, Pa. "If I was rich, I'd retire to New York City. But when I started looking around for places in Portland, I realized it had everything I was looking for."
Shorey, who says she is five to seven years from retirement, bought a 2,000-square-foot loft condo at 537 Lofts with her husband last fall. The couple plan to use it as a weekend home until they retire and move there permanently.
Their loft is a completely new unit on the top floor of an old brick building built in the 1800s. They have views of the Maine College of Art across the street and of Casco Bay beyond. The first floor of their building houses retail, including a Mister Bagel, but the gourmet restaurant 555 and the hip bar/lounge The White Heart are only a few steps away.
"I love it that I can walk to the library and to the great independent bookstores Portland has," said Shorey. "And to all the restaurants -- Walter's, Natasha's, Mims. I think Norm's is my favorite."
CITY LIVING POPULAR AGAIN
Local real estate agents who have been selling the dozens of new loft condos on Congress Street, and others on the peripheries of downtown, say that Portland's amenities are a big draw. But they also feel the boom is part of a larger shift in attitudes -- people wanting to live in cities again.
"I think it's a new attraction to the city, that you can put on your feet and go," said Nan Sawyer, a Realtor who has sold units at Chestnut Street Lofts, which is slated to be finished in June.
And even though downtown Portland has homeless people, traffic and other things you'd associate with a city, there's probably less of those than in many cities.
Sawyer said that Portland's nearly constant mentions in national publications as a great place to visit and live help attract people, as does the fact that the condo projects feature new construction. That means low maintenance and that they can be tailored to a buyer's wishes.
"These are people looking for a city space they can define themselves," said Sawyer.
The several condo projects being built now on or near Congress Street are attracting a variety of people, partly because the price range is pretty wide. Prices range from around $200,000 for a one-bedroom to more than $1 million. One 3,100-square-foot unit at 537 Lofts has a rooftop cupola and patio with a 360-degree view of Back Cove, Casco Bay and every rooftop in between. It is on the market for $1,250,000. 537 Lofts has 10 units, and they're all on the top floor.
The 37 units at Chestnut Street Lofts, a block off Congress behind City Hall, are priced mostly in the $200,000 to $400,000 range. One of those has been bought by Jean McDevitt, 33, a senior manager at an accounting firm in Portland. McDevitt grew up in the small Down East town of Lamoine, has lived in suburban Cumberland, and decided she wants to live in downtown Portland.
"Portland has a lot to offer now, and it's a safe city," said McDevitt, who bought an 1,100-square-foot unit. "I'm looking forward to walking to work, to restaurants, to coffee shops, to the Merrill Auditorium and the library."
McDevitt says that even though she's long thought Portland has a lot to offer, she wouldn't want to live downtown in an "old building." So the fact that she could buy a place that is brand new appeals to her. As does the fact that there will be other homeowners up and down Congress Street as well.
Newly built loft condos have not been widely available on the stretch of Congress Street between Congress Square and City Hall, but suddenly there are more than 70 condo units -- either recently sold or for sale -- in that area.
And the fact that there is a burst of home ownership in the area now may attract more condo developers and more potential buyers who want to live downtown and want to own their own new home.
"It's very exciting, because Portland is a vibrant city downtown, but it's not a 24/7 city, and the way you become that is to have people choosing to live downtown," said Jan Beitzer, executive director of Portland's Downtown District. "The investment that is being made (in the condo projects) clearly shows that people want to live downtown."
A SPECIAL LIFESTYLE
One of the new Congress Street residents is Patricia Nick, an artist who ran Vinalhaven Press printmaking studio for many years. Because of Vinalhaven Press, Nick knew Charlie Hewitt, the artist who helped developed the Kimball Court loft condos at 490 Congress St. The first floor of the condo building features Whitney Art Works, a gallery that is hosting an exhibition of Hewitt's work.
Nick, 70, knew of Portland because of her trips to Vinalhaven every summer. But in the winter she lived in New York, in various neighborhoods such as Chelsea and Soho. But often to get to anything outside of her neighborhood required a very long walk, cab ride or subway ride.
Nick likes the fact that in her new Portland home, she's a five-minute walk or less from everywhere she wants to be: the art museum, galleries, the library, the Cumberland County Civic Center, the Merrill Auditorium, the Maine College of Art.
"I thought this would be a marvelous place to live, but I didn't realize what a special lifestyle it is until I moved here," said Nick, who moved into her condo in October. "I think that a lot of people looking for an urban, sophisticated place to live are going to be drawn to Portland."
Barbara Rosencranz, another artist, said she and her husband bought a loft at Chestnut Street Lofts at least partly because she's always wanted a city loft -- a big wide-open place with lots of windows and lots of light. A place where she could paint.
"In any other city we've lived, Boston, New York, buying a loft would be inconceivable," said Rosencranz, 56. "It's a dramatic way to live. And what we like about Portland is you have city things only a short walk away."
Rosencranz's husband, Jerry, is an online bookseller, so he can live just about anywhere. And the couple's children are grown.
Another buyer in the Chestnut Street Lofts building is Barbara Connolly, 54, who lives in Kittery but has lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She now spends a lot of time in Portsmouth, N.H., which she calls a "great little city."
But she thinks Portland has even more to do and she wants her loft to be her second home.
"To have a place right downtown, to have all the museums and restaurants, is just great," said Connolly.