KidsPORT
Students in the Greater Portland area working to restore the Portland Observatory
The Observatory was built in 1807 entirely out of wood. The carpenters were very skilled, and they built this octagonal (eight-sided) building using mortise and tenon construction. Mortise and tenon is a system of interlocking wooden posts and beams. You can see some of the detail in the architectural study.
No original building plans survive, so the timber frame of the Observatory will have to be carefully taken apart, piece by piece. Damaged pieces will either be repaired or replaced. Whenever possible the original material will be reused in the restoration.
One of the biggest problems the workers face today is where to get the huge pine timbers which form the main structure. The Observatory was built sort of like a tepee. Eight posts, each 65 feet long, run from the foundation all the way up to the observation deck. These posts need to be replaced.
200 years ago there were many trees in Maine large enough to provide these massive timbers, but today such trees are rare. People are searching virgin forests in Maine's north woods looking for suitable trees.
The total cost of the restoration is expected to be approximately $1,000,000. The City of Portland has already voted to pay half the cost of restoration. The rest of the money has to be raised through private donations. The Portland Observatory Restoration Trust is in charge of fundraising. KidsPORT has pledged to raise $5,000 through the efforts of school children in the greater Portland area.
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Greater Portland Landmarks wishes to thank Ren Wilkinson and the students of Pond Cove Elementary School for coordinating KidsPORT and for the content of the KidsPORT web pages. Their fundraising efforts collected over $5,000 for the restoration of the Portland Observatory.