 Good morning. My name is Julie Larry, and I'm a trustee at Greater Portland Landmarks and a member of its Public Issues Committee. And I want to thank you all for joining us this morning. Greater Portland Landmarks Places in Peril program calls attention to significant historic buildings, neighborhoods, landscapes, and objects that characterize the Greater Portland area. These are resources that may be lost, some slowly, others a little bit more quickly, from a variety of types of threats. While Places in Peril is the only program of its kind in the state of Maine that focuses on a specific region, endangered property lists are used throughout the country to highlight and raise community awareness of the importance of historic resources to help gather people together to raise the resources for the protection, preservation, and adaptive reuse of historic properties so that they can continue to be a vital part of their community's architectural character. Earlier this year, Greater Portland Landmarks solicited nominations from the community, and we received 26 submissions. We have chosen seven resources based on their historic significance, the severity of the threat facing them, and the benefit that could come from a Places in Peril listing. These properties selected this year are located in Portland and South Portland. And now I'd like to introduce Hillary Bassett, Executive Director of Greater Portland Landmarks, who will give a little bit more explanation about the different properties selected for this year's list. Thank you, Julie, and welcome, everybody. My name is Hillary Bassett. I'm Executive Director of Greater Portland Landmarks, and I'm very pleased to announce our second annual Places in Peril list this year. We started last year, and this year we're continuing the program, and really there are several major reasons for it. Some people think that preservation is already complete in this area, and it's absolutely not the case. We like to call attention to properties that still need preservation, and especially those that are what I call a tipping point, a point where they could actually fall into ruin or even be destroyed or lost forever. So this year, we also are doing this program for three major reasons. The first is to build awareness. Second, to advocate for preservation, and the third is to convene people and provide access to resources, and to provide advice on how these properties could be preserved. I'm gonna start with our first property, which is Fort Gorges. Fort Gorges is a very important fort in the Portland area. It's a major landmark in Casco Bay. It was built in 1858 to 64, and it was state of the art construction in the Civil War era. It's actually modeled on Fort Sumter from Charleston, South Carolina. Unfortunately, once it was completed, it actually became obsolete because the technology of warfare had changed during that period, and so a masonry building couldn't hold up to the kind of artillery that was present by the end of the Civil War. Notwithstanding, it is a major feat of engineering, building a fort in the middle of Portland Harbor. It has stood firm in that location for many years. The federal government actually transferred that to the city of Portland in 1960, and the city has owned it since then, and it is an excellent example of the engineering and technology of the mid-19th century military construction. Now, what's the threat? The threat really is lack of maintenance and deterioration of the masonry. It is a very solidly built structure, but the mortar is being lost between the joints. It has had no maintenance, and it is in danger of ultimately falling into ruin. So what are the opportunities with this site? Well, first of all, it would be an excellent opportunity for the city to develop a master plan for the site. How could it be preserved, and how could it be more widely used? There's an opportunity to provide greater access, and many people currently access it by kayak or other means so that people can see what is out there. There is also an opportunity to recognize the significance of the site for the greater Portland area, and also there have been several groups of citizens who have expressed interest in preserving the fort. So there's an opportunity to gather and convene those people to ultimately preserve fort gorges for the future. I'm gonna show you a few additional images of it, if you can see them. That's looking into the parade ground. There's a parade ground right in the middle of the fort, so it's a big open field in there. Here's some of the masonry and that dripping white stuff at the arches. That is the mortar that's being leached out and forming those little driplets. And there's another example of the mortar and the stone construction. And here's the parade ground in the middle. Again, from the exterior, you don't see that, but there's this big open space in the middle of the fort. The next site is the Western Cemetery. And Western Cemetery is Portland's second oldest cemetery. It's significant, especially because it's architecturally, because it's in the transition period between the old burial ground, community burial ground, which is just a group of gravesites to an actually designed more rural-type cemetery. So the style of cemeteries changed to be a more rural and with pathways, a more designed kind of a space. That cemetery was Portland's main cemetery from 1829 until 1852 when Evergreen Cemetery opened. And Evergreen was even carrying the idea of the Garden Cemetery even further and many families moved their tombs to Evergreen. Now there are still 6,600 burials in Western Cemetery. So it's a very important site. There are many important families tied to it. It is tied to the Irish history where many Irish citizens are buried there. So it has a long tradition with Portland history. Now in 2001, the city of Portland commissioned a master plan for the cemetery and they've been slowly working toward it. There's also a citizen's group called Stewards of the Western Cemetery that's been affiliated with the cemetery and they've been able to raise some private funds to replace the fence. There's a fence along Vaughan Street to repair the ceremonial gate to the cemetery and that's the one you're seeing here. They've been able to raise some funds for that site but there's still a huge need for fundraising. Many of the recommendations of the plan have not been implemented. There's a full budget and prioritization in the plan. The Stewards have done a great job but they need help. So the threat here is lack of maintenance, lack of attention, lack of funding and neglect. So what is the opportunity? Really it's to increase awareness of this cemetery. Again, outside the Western Promenade neighborhood many people don't know it exists. There's an opportunity to advocate for the city to provide the funding to implement the master plan from 2001 and also an opportunity to work with the Stewards of the Western Cemetery, the community group to help them build awareness, education and also to raise funds for the preservation of the cemetery. And I'll show you another couple of shots. These are the tombs in the back of the cemetery and there's some well-known but not so well-known names today. A long fellow is one of them you'd recognize. And then here's the actual cemetery itself. It retains much of the original form but it needs more maintenance and attention. Next site is the Ingram Carriage Barn. This is located right around the corner at the corner of Pleasant and High Street. It is circa 1800. So it is built right at the time of the McClellan House across the street. So it's built in the period when this neighborhood was the neighborhood where the wealthy families of Portland lived. It was built by Elihu Deering and the Deering name is a commonly heard name in Portland. And it is one of the very few surviving carriage houses from the federal period era. So it's a form that is very unique and one of the few remaining. Now the site, the building itself is in the, the main building is in the historic district, the Portland's historic district and the carriage barn is listed as a significant element of that structure. Now the site has evolved, the building had an L on it that connected the carriage barn that's been demolished. The building was a private residence when it started and now has been, is used as an apartment structure. It's currently owned by Goodwill Industries as the owner. So the threat here is the neglect, lack of maintenance and lack of the use for the property. And what is the opportunity? This property is located in a great area. It's close to the arts district. It's close to downtown. It's of a relatively modest scale. So it has potential to be an art studio. It could be residents, could be small office. So there's a lot of potential that could be realized by rehabilitating this building. So we'd like to encourage the owners to consider that and also to, because of its location and being in a national register area, it could potentially be qualified for historic preservation tax credits. So the rehabilitation could be promoted by access to tax credits. And then of course near term, just to keep this building stabilized until a plan can be arrived at to preserve it for the future. And I'll show you the rear view. This is the same site looked at from the rear. Now our next site is Lincoln Park. And Lincoln Park is the city's oldest public park. It was built in an era when the city of Portland was recovering from the great fire of 1866. So the city has this great fire 1866. Part of the reason for Lincoln Park is not just to have a park but it's also to have a fire break right in the middle of the city. And much of the original features of Lincoln Park are still there. So there's the fountain, the fence, the beautiful fence posts are still there. There's also been a major change in the park however. Back in 1970 when Franklin Arterial was being built, a quarter acre of the park was cut off the park. So if you've wondered why the shape is a little bit unusual, it's because it was cut off in the 70s. So the threat with that park, and I also should mention that recently Lincoln Park was in the news because it was a site of the Occupy movement. And so there was an encampment there in 2012. And then after the encampment, there was a citizens group formed called Friends of Lincoln Park. And this group is actually working very hard to pull together resources from the city and try to build awareness of the park so that there can be improvements in the park. So what is the threat? Obviously it's been, the park has been ignored for a very long period of time. There's been a lack of funding. And also this is very current because Franklin Arterial or the Franklin Street study is happening right now. And in that process there's an opportunity to restore that quarter acre that was cut off Lincoln Park. So this is a chance to get the park not only to get attention and rehabilitate the park but also to get it back to its original configuration. So that is a very timely and current reason for this property to come to public attention. The opportunities, obviously, let's get the park back to its original configuration to work with the Friends group, Friends of Lincoln Park to advocate with the city to get the funding to restore the fence, to get the fountain back working, to restore the paths. The materials are all there. All the original materials and features are still there. It's a matter of getting it restored. And here's another couple of views of Lincoln Park. Just to show you that the forms are there but the paths are deteriorated, the grounds aren't maintained. So now, Lincoln Park, we segue into the Neil Dow House. And this is a fascinating building. It's on Congress Street. It is affiliated with Neil Dow who was a very major political figure in the 19th century. He was a Civil War general. He was also the head of the Portland Temperance Movement. He was known as the Napoleon of Temperance. And in the 19th century, Neil Dow actually started a big effort to prohibit the use of alcohol. And he actually drafted what they called the Maine Law which was the first anti-alcohol or prohibition statute in the country. And that was used as the model for the national statute that was approved in 1920, the prohibition statute in 1920. Neil Dow was also, his family was also affiliated with the abolition movement. So that house was a site on the Underground Railroad. There are two, he documents at least two instances where the family housed African-Americans who were fleeing slavery in the house. So here's a property that has a lot of great ties to history. So it's got a lot of ties to history. So it's a tie. And also in the 1930s, Neil Dow's son bequeathed the house to the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Maine. So the Women's Christian Temperance Union started in the late 19th century. They had decided that alcohol was the root of many social problems. And so they had a major role in promoting temperance. And then ultimately, many of the women involved with that group became involved with women getting the vote. So this property ties to abolition, it ties to women's history, it ties to temperance and the Civil War. So it's all wrapped up in this site. So what's the threat here? Nobody knows about this place. It's right in the middle of Portland on our main street and nobody knows about it. The Women's Christian Temperance Union Maine chapter owns the building. They've done a good job maintaining the structure. But the building moving forward, these historic house museums have a very hard time raising money through adjusted missions. So long term, there will be financial needs, short term, more people need to know about this very important site. So the opportunity here is really for greater awareness of the importance of this building to American history. It is also an opportunity, there's an opportunity to set up a separate non-profit just to preserve the house because the goals of the Women's Christian Temperance Union are a little bit different than just maintaining a house. They have a social services mission. So there's a lot of opportunity here, I think, to build the educational role and build the awareness of the community and then to create partnerships with local groups to help preserve the building. And I'm just gonna show you a little, this is a little bit dark, but you can see the interior of the building. There's a wonderful library, Neil Dow's library and many of his original artifacts are in the house. So that is an important location here. Now, it wouldn't be landmarks if there wasn't a statement about Union Station. As you know, was the demolition of Union Station in 1961 was part of the reason that landmarks formed back in the 60s during that era when a lot of older buildings were being destroyed. And the Union Station clock still survives. This is another unsung landmark of Portland. It is housed in a small brick building in Congress Square. It is still working. The clock was built in the 1880s and installed at the top of the tower of the Union Station. And then in the mid 1980s, the main central railroad actually donated the clock and all its works to the city of Portland and it was installed in Congress Square Plaza. So that's the story for landmarks. This is a very iconic symbol, one of the last remaining pieces of Union Station which was such an important site to the city of Portland. So what's the threat here is lack of awareness number one and secondly, currently the Congress Square Plaza is under discussion for in the city. The city has, Council has approved an agreement to sell part of the Plaza. That site includes the part that has the clock installed on it and yet there is no plan for what will happen to the clock. There is some funding that the developer has agreed to to pack it up and move it away but there's no plan as to where it will go. And there are a number of concerned citizens and neighborhood groups that are interested in a future plan for the clock. So again, opportunity here is to recognize the importance of the clock that it's even there and then also to find a location that will honor the history of Union Station and the clock. And then our last of the seven is a little bit different kind of a category. This is the historic properties of South Portland and as many of you know, there's a wonderful history in South Portland. It's a community with many interesting, there's seven historic neighborhoods in the city. It's a town that was actually founded in the 1600s and incorporated as a separate town in the 1890s. So there's a long history of development in South Portland and there are very few buildings that are even listed in the National Register. There are only three buildings listed in the register. Two of them are lighthouses. So there's a lot of opportunity for more recognition of buildings in the community. And there are wonderful neighborhoods and I'll just cite a few of them. Ferry Village is one which has got an incredible architectural history just reflected in the buildings from the very early 1800s through the shipbuilding era of the 19th century into the 20th century. There's Meeting House Hill, which has fabulous residential stock as well. The Willard Beach area, which is a very popular residential area now, but also once had a casino and once was a fishing area. So there's a lot of history in South Portland. So what's the threat here is nobody knows about it and it's not, there are no protections. There are no protections of historic resources in South Portland. So we feel that there's a tremendous opportunity to build public awareness of the buildings and neighborhoods there, to provide recognition, to do a survey, even the basics of figuring out what's there by very systematically going through the neighborhoods, identifying the major properties. There is an opportunity to, in the education side, the mayor of South Portland offers a course in the history of South Portland and Portland architecture. So just building awareness of what's in South Portland and then potentially getting more properties listed on the national register that those, especially if they're income producing can provide access to tax credits and just recognition of what's there because what's been proven time and again is historic preservation helps economic development and neighborhoods that have protection, those properties tend to be stable neighborhoods and increase in their property value. So we think there's a great opportunity there and I'd like to just show you a few properties, but there's many, many more different neighborhoods. This one, this house is in Ferry Village. Here's a church that was recently highlighted in near Broadway that's deteriorating. A school in the Thornton Heights area. A commercial building, a kind of what I would call bread and butter commercial building in the Pleasantdale area and then one of the homes in Meeting House Hill. So South Portland is just an incredibly historic area but no one knows about it and it's not protected. So we feel it's deserving of being on the list. So that's our list. I wanna show you the distribution of properties this year again. We're a little bit heavily focused on Portland with six sites, well actually five in Portland, one in Portland Harbor and then the community of South Portland and its historic resources as our seventh property. So thank you very much and now I'd like to ask Nate Stevens to say a few words. Good morning. My name is Nate Stevens. I'm a trustee on great Portland landmarks and a commercial real estate broker with CBRID, the boldest company here in Portland, Maine. Congratulations to the committee on the 2013 Places of Apparel. I actually was just saying recently before this that I was at Fort Gorge just a couple of years ago and actually fell partially through one of the floors so I'm glad to see that's on the list. But being a commercial broker in Portland and in the business community, I see firsthand the importance of historic preservation in the business community here in Portland and other downtowns locally. And the importance of these properties and these landmarks and places like them in the marketing of Portland and our other downtowns to businesses outside our state to bring them here to Maine. I've spoken with CEOs and other business leaders here locally who have their businesses in Portland have located their businesses in Portland because it's an identifiable town. Without our historic buildings you could be any other town in the country. However, historic fabric defines our town. I work with companies small and large, local, national who wanna be in historic buildings. They have specific requests to be in historic spaces. They want the character. They want the exposed brick, exposed beams, the high ceilings, the woodwork, some of the grand lobbies that you see down in the old port, the conversation starters. I believe that it's spaces like this that help create creativity, conversation, movement within a space and tie the business and the employees to the local community and its history. You walk into a lot of the lobbies here in downtown Portland that was actually in a lobby in Westbrook of a local business where you see historic photos in the reception areas of the buildings that they're in just plastered on the walls. And I think that's a clear indication of the pride and the local support within businesses of the historic preservation and the buildings that they house their businesses. And I think that interest within the business community has helped developers take advantage of historic tax credits as Hillary was mentioning earlier and redevelop buildings that couldn't be recreated otherwise. For example, recently, Pierce Atwood, which is in the Merrill's Wharf building down on the Port of Waterfront, and the Baxter Library on Conger Street, which houses the Via Group. I think two very important buildings that could have easily been on a places in peril just a few years ago if they hadn't been redeveloped. So I think it's important to note, while it is important to obviously know the historic preservation with the heritage tourism here in Portland and bringing people to live to our towns and our communities, I think it's equally important to notice or to note the importance of historic preservation within the business community. So it's getting congratulations and thank you very much. Are you happy to take questions from anyone? Just in the second year, we've just done this. The seven that were identified last year, have you talked about whether or not you've seen any movement about happiness awareness here today? Yes, we have, we have a seven. Okay, yes, we thank you, David. Yes, we've seen some movement, not on all properties, but on several of the properties. One of the most important was the Abyssinian Meeting House got national recognition and that property was selected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of their 11 most endangered and that is a nationally competitive program. So Maine, to have a property in Maine and in Portland listed is a very significant achievement. I think it's the first time that a property has been listed for Maine. So, and that's given them a huge boost in terms of the opportunity for national visibility and potential for fundraising to complete the project. A couple of other Eastern Cemetery listed last year, they have been successful in achieving some city funding for needed work there. So they've needed access to water for maintenance of the cemetery and there's the receiving tomb, which is the little house in the cemetery. They've received some allocations for funding to help repair that. Masonic Temple has actually begun work on a fund drive to help preserve the building. So they've been very, very, how can I call it, systematically going forward to help restore that building. I think listing the places in peril has provided them with more visibility as they go out and raise funds to help restore the building. So those are some examples of how the program has helped move these projects forwards. Why put all of South Portland on the list rather than maybe focus on a few properties in South Portland to give those properties special attention? Are you concerned that by generalizing, you're actually not doing what you're trying to do? I think that you could, I think we felt that there's so many historic resources there that are unrecognized that this would be a way to introduce the subject. Obviously, there are many individual properties which could be recognized. And what I found in just doing some of the, driving around the community was there are many wonderful, as you turn a corner where you have a wonderful surprise where there's an old school that's been converted or a church that's still remaining or something that really ties into the early history of the community that's unknown. So we felt also that the opportunity to do a survey of South Portland is so strong to see what's there that this would be a way to call attention to that need. Because obviously, the first step is really identifying what's there so people can know what's there and what to do. Questions? A lot of this is sort of driven by funding. And many of these properties have some city affiliation and municipalities are not known to be fleshed with money. And I wonder what responsibility is this, the city share to these properties and how much that can be shifted to other groups as a way of not putting the entire burden on the city. So the question is, many of these properties have an affiliation with a municipality or city. Those entities are strapped for resources. What other solutions for funding? And one of the things we've found really effective is the Friends Group that Friends Groups partner with municipalities and community organizations. A good example is the potential now with Lincoln Park with a new Friends Group. They're super motivated. They're out making connections with city leaders participating in the process. And that can be a very powerful tool. Can it also be counterproductive when those Friends Groups don't always have the same goals and ideals as the city's increasing the Congress for a positive? Sometime, what I would say to that is that typically like Friends of Lincoln Park, what works really ideally and best is to first create a master plan. And we saw that with Eastern Cemetery where the Friends Group partnered with the city to create a master plan. And then they're all working toward the same goal. So even if it's a small thing, like where do the plantings go? What are the priorities for preservation? Same thing with the Western Cemetery now with the Stewards Group that there's an opportunity there to put forward the plan that's already in place in 2001. So those are agreed upon goals. So yes, so depending on which groups you're partnering with there could be disagreements but we like to take the positive tack and that in many cases the citizen engagement really can be extremely positive in leveraging more resources.