Staging of Building 12 at Portland Foreside began earlier this week and is well underway. Building 12, the pattern storehouse for the Portland Company Complex, was built in 1895. It was used as a pattern storehouse on the site, still known by some as 58 Fore Street. The design and production of wood patterns that were used for casting iron and steel in sand molds was central to the functioning of the Portland Company and represented a large capital investment for the Company. The patterns were often reused over long periods of time and so storage and preservation was very important.

The pattern storehouse was located separate from the other buildings and built of brick to try and avoid damage in the case of fire in other areas of the complex according to Kevin Costello, managing partner of Portland Foreside Development Co. The staging when finished will permit a Consigli team to disasemble the building, brick by brick. Then it will be stored in another building on the property until it is reassembled, brick by brick, in another location on the almost 10-acre waterfront property. Many bricks will not survive the transfer, so bricks will be taken from other buildings to fill the void.

Meanwhile, at 100 Fore Street, in the adjoining property, demolition of the building began earlier this week. It will make way for a large garage to be built by property owner and developer Jonathan ‘Cohen. (See above two photos).

For more background information on the demolition of Portland Foreside, a/k/a 58 Fore Street on Munjoy HIll, please see post herein dated April 3, 2019.