On October 28, 2025, the venerable Mariner’s Church building at 368–374 Fore Street in Portland will host Greater Portland Landmarks’ 60th Birthday Bash and Preservation Awards, bringing together friends and supporters in a fitting celebration within one of the city’s most treasured historic spaces.
Mariner’s Church stands today as a vivid reminder of Portland’s maritime, architectural, civic, and African American heritage. Constructed in 1828 at a cost of $33,000 (plus another $18,000 to acquire the site), it was once the largest building in Portland and is regarded as the city’s earliest expression of Greek Revival architecture, while still retaining traces of Federal design in its detailing. Its design drew inspiration from Boston’s Faneuil Hall (1742) and Salem’s East India Hall (1825). Distinctive rounded corners—brick on the left, granite on the right—add elegance, while the interior still echoes the original layout.
Courtesy of Maine Historical Society, MMN #54020, 1924 Tax Record 366-376 Fore Street
From its earliest days the church served a multi faceted mission, providing religious, educational, and social services for Portland’s seafaring community. The third floor functioned as a chapel, the second as a meeting and lecture space, and the ground floor as revenue producing shops and offices. The basement contains part of the original seawall, remaining from before Commercial Street was laid out in 1858. In the mid 19th century the basement housed Daniel Colesworthy’s antislavery bookstore and printshop, where he published Light and Truth from Ancient and Sacred History by Robert Benjamin Lewis—often regarded as the first Afrocentric history published in the United States. Lewis, a Mainer of African and Native American descent, led a life of maritime adventure and literary ambition.
Mariner’s Church survived Portland’s devastating fire of 1866, one of the few large commercial structures to do so. Over the decades it became host to numerous community institutions: Portland’s first marine museum, meetings of seamen’s groups and unions, and early social programs including the founding of the Portland Boys Club. After falling into disrepair, it was purchased in the late 1960s and following a 1969 survey by Greater Portland Landmarks, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 in recognition of its architectural, social, religious, humanitarian, and theatrical significance. The lower level housed the Old Port Tavern from 1973 until 2022, while upper floors hosted billiards and event functions. The building is an important stop on Portland’s Freedom Trail, and today the upper levels serve as an event venue, preserving the building’s historic role as a gathering space.