From Classroom to Community: New Lives for Historic Schools
What happens to a school building when the students leave? As Portland's communities and needs shift, many historic schools have outlived their original purpose — but not their potential. Using actual projects, Kevin Bunker will share Developers Collaborative’s hands-on approach to transforming historic schools into housing and community spaces. Kevin will be joined by Christine Beard, owner of Essex Preservation Consulting, and architect Will Hopkins, Principal at Archetype Architects, for a lively discussion on the challenges and rewards of giving historic schools new lives.
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Mechanics’ Hall, 519 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
Ticket Price: $10 for general admission
*If you've made a donation to GPL in the last year, please use the code GPLLOVE for $3 off the ticket price as thanks for your support!
Details: This is an in-person event only. The Arts District Garage, 511 Congress Street, is the preferred parking partner for Mechanics’ Hall. Street parking and other parking garages available nearby.
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
Kevin Bunker is a founding principal of Developers Collaborative. Kevin founded DC with Richard Berman after graduating with distinction in 2007 from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design with a master’s in urban planning degree. A former municipal planner and lobsterman in the Rockland area, Kevin is a principal on all of DC’s current projects, which have averaged about $100 million per year in recent years and run the gamut from residential to industrial. Kevin brings experience in complex financing models including tax increment financing, use of tax credits, and other public-private partnerships, all leading to creative projects that build community and strengthen the Maine economy in innovative ways. Kevin is also an activist promoting the causes of smart growth and downtowns at the state and local levels. He was the recipient of the City of Portland’s prestigious Economic Development Achievement Award in 2019. Kevin lives in Portland with his wife Amanda and their daughters Alex and Natalie.
Working in the field for over forty years, Christine Beard has developed a well-rounded background in historic preservation. While earning a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, she was employed by the Clio Group to conduct paint and mortar analyses of historic structures. Her preservation work continued in Boston as a consultant for the Architectural Conservation Trust for Massachusetts, preparing historic tax credit applications and National Register nominations. Christine subsequently cofounded Tremont Preservation Services, where she worked on a wide range of interesting and challenging projects over a period of twenty years before establishing Essex Preservation Consulting in 2018.
Will Hopkins has spent over 20 years working on adaptively reusing buildings of all types, shapes, and uses. Starting his career in Pittsburgh PA, he returned to Maine in 2021 to join Archetype Architects where is presently a principal.
With a specialty in affordable housing, he sees the intersection of preservation and reuse to be a perfect place to focus on housing. This holds especially true in the cases of schools when they are no longer fit to serve their original purpose but have much more to offer as iconic architectural and community elements.
From Classroom to Community: New Lives for Historic Schools was the second program in Temples of Knowledge, a three-part in-person series tracing a consistent thread: how buildings providing education and fostering knowledge have been designed and reimagined, past and present. From school buildings converted to new uses, a department store turned art college, to institutions that have long supported informal and adult education, Portland has a wealth of educational buildings. These programs will highlight their architectural and social significance, the role they play in our communities, and their reinvention to meet today's needs.
These programs are presented in partnership with Greater Portland Landmarks and Mechanics' Hall, with generous sponsorship by Developers Collaborative, a community-based development firm. The series will be complemented by virtual talks and site visits offered by Greater Portland Landmarks, providing additional ways to explore the architecture of learning.
Please email Aimée Keithan or call 207.358.7064 with questions!
