A brief history of the Old Port exchange
WRITTEN BY RICHARD SHAW
Fifty years after new economic life was breathed into a decaying part of Portland’s downtown, the Old Port Exchange shows no signs of slowing down. The district, bounded by Exchange, Commercial, Fore, and Congress streets, was once a warren of warehouses and wharves. Now it is a walkable destination, including restaurants, shops, and condos.
Real estate developers sparked the renaissance in the 1970s, when they purchased derelict properties and turned them into offices, apartments, and retail space. Restaurants such as The Hollow Reed on Fore Street sprang up, while the Old Port Association was formed to halt demolition and improve street aesthetics.
Anchoring the redevelopment was the opening of the Cumberland County Civic Center, now the Cross Insurance Arena, at the top of the Old Port, in 1977. In 2006, work began on the Ocean Gateway project, a major cruise ship terminal. Nine years later, the former Press Herald newspaper building at the top of Exchange Street was converted into the Press Hotel. And earlier this year, plans were announced for the 380-foot-tall, 30-story Old Port Square project at 45 Union St. It would be Maine’s tallest structure.
In the end, the Old Port is all about history. Native son Barry Daniels shares memories dating to the 1950s, when his parents worked for the Globe Laundry at 26 Temple St. He is the State Street Traditional Jazz Band’s clarinet player, performing Sundays in the Old Port.
Transplants such as John Ripley, of South Portland, enjoy crossing the Casco Bay Bridge to shop and dine at the Old Port, which he said, “… is a balance between the past and the future. Imagine technology companies near old bars and fish mongers.”
Local artists, such as the late Paul Black, captured the area’s architecture, including its cobbled streets and the U.S. Custom House at 312 Fore St., in changing seasons. And the yearly Old Port Festival, which ended in 2019, drew families and tourists for a day of parades, games, and food. For many, the festival helped put the Old Port on the map.
