The Greater Portland Landmar’s is Opposed to a Request by the Portland Museum of Art to Declassification the Children’s Museum of Maine, (originallly formerly the Chamber of Commerce) at 142  Free Street, Potland to “noncontributing” so the PMA can Demolish the Building to Use the Land it for Itx Expansion Plans.  The Issue of Declassification of the Historic Building is on the Preservation Board Agenda for 5:00 pm. on Wedneday, October 4, 2023.  The public is invited to attend the meeting.

Portland Museum of Art (PMA) Wants to Declassify the Next Door HIstoric Building so it Can Demolish it for Its Expansion Plans.

Greater Portland Landmarks (GPL)  announced this morning  its opposition to the Portland Museum of Art’s (PMA) request to change the status of the former Children’s Museum of Maine, next to the Portland Museum of Art. The request to change the status is made  so that the PMA can demolish the building for its exansion plans.

The building is located in Portland’s Congress Street HIstoric District, 142 Free Street.  PMA wants to demolish the historic building as part of its expansion plans.

What a lousy idea!

“My organization has reviewed the city’s historic preservation ordinance and belives that ‘the building clearly meets the criteria for designation as a contributing structure” and it “finds no basis for reclassisfication as a non-contributing structure,” wrote Carol DeTine, Vice President of GPL’s board of trustees. in a statement to the Portland HIstoric Preservation Board at city hall.

“Much hard work and careful consideration goes into establishing a historic district,” said De Tone.  “It is critical to maintain the integrity of the district and the buildings within it, as well as the city’s historic presentation ordinance.  Historic preservation has been a major factor in Portland’s success as a community and this is not  the time to let our guard down.”

Since Portland’s historic preservation ordinance was adopted in 1990, about a dozen buildings have been reclassified following the process outlined in the ordinance.  In each case, GPL supported the reclassifiatdion based on the relevent criteria, such as the poor condition of a building.  As for 142 Fore Street, however, GPL notes that the building is sound and  all of the criteria that led to the building’s original designation as a contributing structure continue to exist.

“The former Chamber of Commerce building contues to warrant its designation as a contributing building wihin the historic district; a message that DeTine and others will reinforce at the board meeting on Wednesday, at the workships reclassifiation request on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 5:00 pm at city hall.