The Old Port (sometimes known as the Old Port Exchange) is a district of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, known for its

cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...

streets, 19th-century brick buildings and fishing piers. The district is filled with boutiques, restaurants and bars. Because of its reputation for nightlife, the Old Port is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

Geography

The Old Port district is located on the southeast side of the Portland peninsula, overlooking the wide mouth of the Fore River and the Port of Portland. It is bounded on the east by Franklin Street (United States Route 1A), with Commercial Street southwest along the waterfront, with 19th century buildings on its north side as far west as Maple Street. It extends inland as far as Federal Street, between Pearl and Temple Streets, with Fore and Middle Streets as major cross streets that very roughly parallel the waterfront. The shore area on the southeast side of commercial street is lined with wharves. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Bayside,

East Bayside East Bayside is a neighborhood in Portland, Maine. It is bordered by Franklin Street on the west, Washington Avenue on the east, to the north by Marginal Way, and the south by Congress Street. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Bayside, the O ...

Munjoy Hill Munjoy Hill is a neighborhood and prominent geographical feature of Portland, Maine. It is located east of downtown and south of East Deering, the neighborhood it is connected to by Tukey's Bridge. The neighborhood historically had a large Ir ...

and the West End. A large portion of this area has been designated a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

, and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as the "Portland Waterfront Historic District".

Parks

The Old Port includes the adjacent parks of Post Office Park and Tommy's Park, which features a large mural. Bell Buoy Park is located next to the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal. The Eastern Promenade Trail terminates in the Old Port and connects to the East End Beach.

History

The Portland peninsula was first settled in the 17th century, but was abandoned during the

French and Indian Wars The French and Indian Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred in North America between 1688 and 1763, some of which indirectly were related to the European dynastic wars. The title ''French and Indian War'' in the singular is used in the U ...

of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It was resettled, and incorporated as Falmouth in 1718. It prospered economically in the 18th century due to the lumber trade, particularly the trade in virgin trees used as ship masts. At the outbreak of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, a large part of the city was destroyed by fire in a British raid in October 1775. The city rebuilt, and again became a major shipping center and Maine's leading port and economic center. Commercial Street was created by fill in the 1850s, and Middle and Exchanges Street area developed as a major commercial district. In 1866 a major fire swept through the area, bringing on a wave of new construction. Historically, Exchange Street was where many printers and newspapers were located. At the top of Exchange Street, strategically located across Congress Street from Portland City Hall, is the

Press Herald Building The Press Herald Building is an historic building in Portland, Maine built in 1923 and expanded in 1948. It is strategically located across Congress Street from Portland City Hall. It was occupied by the ''Portland Press Herald The ''Portland ...

built in 1923 and expanded in 1948 as the headquarters of the ''

Portland Press Herald The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States. Founded in 1862, its roots e ...

.'' In 2015, the renovated building became the Press Hotel. The Old Port was transformed in the 1970s when real estate developers purchased derelict buildings and refurbished them into apartments, condos, offices and retail space. A new group of restaurants emerged that included

The Hollow Reed The Hollow Reed was a vegetarian restaurant in the Old Port district of Portland, Maine that opened on February 7, 1974, and closed in 1981, and is cited for its influence on the city's notable restaurant culture. History The restaurant was o ...

on Fore Street that are cited for influencing the city's current restaurant culture. During that same decade, the Old Port Association formed and helped halt the city's demolition of historic buildings (see:

Portland (Maine) Union Station Union Station was a train station in Portland, Maine. History The building was opened on June 25, 1888, serving trains of the Boston and Maine, Maine Central and Portland and Ogdensburg railroads. Designed by Boston architects Bradlee, Winsl ...

) and lobbied for street scape improvements. The

Cumberland County Civic Center Cross Insurance Arena (formerly Cumberland County Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena located in Portland, Maine. Built in 1977, at a cost of US$8 million, it is the home arena for the Maine Mariners (ECHL), Maine Mariners of the ECHL. There a ...

was built at the top of the Old Port in 1977. In the early 1980s,

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

passed the

Economic Recovery Tax Act The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA), or Kemp–Roth Tax Cut, was an Act that introduced a major tax cut, which was designed to encourage economic growth. The federal law enacted by the 97th US Congress and signed into law by US Preside ...

, which provided tax incentives for redevelopment projects, and spurred further development in the district. In 2006, construction began on th
Ocean Gateway
project. The Ocean Gateway serves as the city's

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

terminal.

Old Port Festival

The Old Port Festival was a yearly one-day festival which took place in the neighborhood. For the first 36 years (1973-2009), it took place on the first Sunday in June. However, noting weather patterns which consistently brought rain storms on that day, organizers moved the Festival to the second Sunday in June 2010, avoiding heavy rain. In 2009, Festival organizers sought to create the world's largest

lobster roll A lobster roll is a dish native to New England. It is made of lobster meat served on a grilled hot dog-style bun. The filling may also contain butter, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper, with variants made in some parts of New England replacin ...

as part of the festival. It included 48 pounds of lobster meat and 4 gallons of mayonnaise. It measured 61 feet and 9.5 inches long. Pieces of the roll were sold to benefit a youth association. In 1998, the event included children games, including a petting zoo and miniature golf. In June 2019, the final Old Port Festival occurred, though some area business owners sought to continue the event.

References

External links