The Maine coastline is known for its dozens of lightly populated islands, fishing boats, quaint towns and lighthouses. A planned development in the state's largest city would bring that image into the 21st century with a 30-story mixed-use tower that's expected to be Maine's tallest structure.
Safdie Architects is unveiling images of the 380-foot-tall residential and hotel tower at 45 Union St. in downtown Portland as part of the Old Port Square project. Safdie Architects has been working with developer East Brown Cow Management for nearly a decade on Old Port Square, a 4-acre area surrounding Canal Plaza that includes both new construction and the restoration of historic buildings with plans for retail, offices, restaurants, residential and hospitality properties.
The new tower at 45 Union St. is expected to supplant St. Joseph’s Church in Biddeford, rising 235 feet high, as Maine’s tallest building. This week's announcement of the new tower comes after the city of Portland in November agreed to increase the maximum building height in the downtown district.
The new tower, designed to evoke the many lighthouses that dot the coast of Maine, is expected to include a sky lobby and restaurant that will be open to the public, offering 360-degree views of Casco Bay and the White Mountains.
East Brown Cow Management has not disclosed an estimated cost or construction timeline, and the tower portion still requires city approval. East Brown Cow didn't immediately return an emailed request for additional information about the project.
The Old Port Square project is one of numerous proposals across the U.S. intended to help trigger the revitalization of downtown areas. These projects often include preservation of historic buildings, the introduction of parks and green space, and a mix of uses that usually involves residential, retail and restaurants and sometimes offices. Such projects include Centennial Yards in Atlanta, The Central in Dallas, Berkley Riverfront in Kansas City and Esplanade in Pittsburgh.
The city has seen a surge of tourism for the Portland Waterfront District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features cobblestone streets and fishing piers on Casco Bay, according to East Brown Cow. The design of Old Port Square is intended to emphasize the district’s historic character, said Moshe Safdie, founding partner at Boston-based Safdie Architects.
“What gives the Old Port Square project more depth is that we're going building by building, restoring them, bringing new life into them,” Safdie said in a news release.
Safdie’s career has included designs for some visually distinctive structures. Marina Bay Sands in Singapore features three towers connected at the top by a 1,120-foot skywalk that can hold about 4,000 people and has a swimming pool. Habitat 67 is a housing complex in Montreal known for its asymmetrical stacking of boxes, connected walkways and terraces.
Years in the making
Portland-based East Brown Cow launched the Old Port Square project in 2009 and owns at least 16 buildings in the area. Some properties that are part of Old Port Square have already been constructed, including 188 Middle St.
Renovations have been completed on others, such as 200 Middle St., formerly known as One Canal Plaza, where Safdie Architects reimagined the first two levels into retail space with an expansive lobby and a grand staircase. The building has office space on levels 3-10.
The preservation and rehabilitation work for the buildings at 178 Middle St. and 184 Middle St. is expected to be completed this summer. Both buildings will have retail space on the ground floor, including a Warby Parker at 184 Middle St., with lofts on the upper floors.
Safdie Architects is also designing a timber-and-glass retail pavilion at 55 Union St. that is expected to serve as a gateway to the Old Port Square project, according to the release.
“Old Port Square was born from this idea that we could fix what was torn asunder and enhance with modern architecture that could also speak to where Portland, and Maine, is going,” Tim Soley, president of East Brown Cow, said in the release.
For the record
Safdie and Sean Scensor at Safdie Architects are leading the design team. Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture is the landscape architect.