142 Free Street: Though GPL lost our court case to uphold the historic preservation ordinance and prevent the razing of 142 Free Street, we have continued to urge the Portland Museum of Art to delay demolition until their project is fully funded and permitted, which not only reflects best practices but also adheres to the commitment they made to the City in public meetings. On June 24th an application for the demolition of 142 Free Street was submitted to the City. PMA has not yet begun the review process, which could take months or longer, and they have raised only 50% of their necessary funding for the project. As shared recently with the Press Herald, the Arts District/Congress Street Historic District is struggling with vacancies, vagrancy, and vandalism. An empty lot, abutting a surface parking lot and PMA’s other empty lot, would only exacerbate these challenges. Instead, PMA should active the building until the new project is shovel ready. We urge anyone who agrees to reach out to PMA and let them know that an activated building is better than an empty lot.
Party in the Park: Greater Portland Landmarks joined the Portland Parks Department and other organizations at this year's Party in the Park at Payson Park! The rain held off and we were able to share our mission (and a raffle!) with Portland residents. We plan to be at many more upcoming events, festivals, and fairs so come say hi if you spot us!
Maine Delegation Advocacy: We have been in communication with elected officials on a number of preservation priorities. Recently, we emailed all four members of the Maine delegation urging support for the Historic Preservation Fund in the bill currently moving through Congress. Representative Chellie Pingree's office wrote back and scheduled a meeting to discuss this and other issues. We had a productive conversation with staffer Evan Johnston who was aware of the concerns about the HPF and working towards resolutions. We then participated in a call with Congresswoman Pingree and other arts advocates to hear more about her efforts. We want to thank Evan and Congresswoman Pingree for their attention towards historic preservation. It's important that we all continue to contact the Maine delegation in support of releasing the FY25 Historic Preservation Funds and adding the HPF to the FY26 budget being reviewed now in the Senate. We have also contacted Senator Collins urging support of the Historic Tax Credit bill- HTC-GO. GPL will continue to collaborate with our partners to push for these critical preservation funding tools.
Local City Council Support: Staff has been in touch with District 1 City Councilor Sarah Michniewicz on a number of issues related to historic preservation, and recently met to discuss preservation tools for the West Bayside neighborhood. We thank Councilor Michniewicz for her leadership and dedication to preservation and urban realm improvements and look forward to ongoing discussions.
61 Preble Street: We submitted written comments to the Planning Board regarding the demolition of 61 Preble Street as part of a Master Development Plan for the neighborhood. While we support new housing, the proposal originally retained the masonry structure at 61 Preble Street with a new addition in the abutting parking lot. Though not designated as historic currently, this building contributes to its streetscape and tells an important story about the evolution of transportation in Portland. We believe that reusable buildings should be integrated into new development whenever possible and have urged the proponent and the Planning Board to reconsider the demolition approach.
Reimagining Franklin Street : GPL continues to advocate for our priorities in the new vision for the Franklin Street corridor. We attended a public workshop to give feedback and shared our thoughts with the outreach team. We hope to see the neighborhood knitted back together with safe pedestrian access, high-quality new architecture, and meaningful green spaces. We will be sharing more background on the history of the neighborhood and Urban Renewal as the project advances.
Portland Music Hall: As we continue to monitor this project, we are waiting for the City Council’s vote on the moratorium on new event venues that would impact this proposal. The Sustainability and Transportation Subcommittee recently approved the moratorium.
