Eastern Prom (Fort Allen) - May 9

Observations and Reactions:

            I had been to Fort Allen Park about a dozen times before this visit. I usually go to watch the fireworks on July 4. I have never been disappointed when I visited the park. It has a World War II memorial for the USS Portland which is probably the coolest thing to visit in Portland, in my opinion. The people there are either walking, running, or playing with their dogs throughout the year and on July 4 there are hundreds of people there to watch the fireworks on Munjoy Hill. It is a very nice park and it is very well maintained. The grass could be 4 feet long and infested with ticks and I think I would still visit to see the USS Portland memorial.

Historical Background:

            Eastern Promenade was constructed from 1836 until 1934. It acquired Fort Allen in 1890 and in 1912 the Olmsted Brothers redesigned the area to its present day status. In 1959 Portland acquired part of the USS Portland and constructed the memorial that is currently there. Prior to being sold for scrap the USS Portland has a very successful wartime career in the Pacific theater of war during World War II. The ship barely missed the Japanese attacks at Pearl Harbor as it was patrolling the coast of Fiji. At the Battle of the Coral Sea the ship aided the USS Yorktown, a carrier, in its defenses and saved over 700 survivors of the sinking USS Lexington. At the Battle of Midway the USS Portland again aided the Yorktown in its defenses from Japanese airplanes and rescued over 2000 sailors from the Yorktown after it was damaged. The Portland then escorted the USS Enterprise on a mission to Guadalcanal and fought later at the Solomon Islands. In October the cruiser was damaged for the first time at the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands. Finally the USS Portland, after repairing itself, took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal where it was struck by a Japanese torpedo. The final major battle for the Portland was the Battle of Surigao Strait where it won a very important victory for the United States. At the end of the war the ship had earned 16 battle stars. Fort Allen Park also has a very small Civil War Monument that is dedicated to the Union Army just above the USS Portland memorial. The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad also goes through part of the Eastern Promenade. ”Eastern Promenade retains the purpose and intent for which it was initially acquired and developed. It remains significant today in providing residents and visitors with a publicly owned and maintained site from which to take in the magnificent view of Casco Bay and the islands.”

 

 

http://www.ussportland.org/history.html

http://www.portlandmaine.gov/planning/epmp.pdf

 

 

Portland Observatory - May 9

 

 

Observations and Reactions:

            The first time I ever saw the Portland Observatory was when I walked the wrong way on Congress Street when we went on the class trip to the Portland Museum of Art. This is a demonstration of my knowledge of Portland. The first word that comes to mind when you see it is “huge” or “big”. It makes sense because it is huge. When I went to visit as a site I was 10 minutes late and it was closed so I did not get to go to the top (it was foggy out anyways). I did, however, go with a friend who lives in Portland and he had been to the top. He said you get a very unique view of Portland since there aren’t very many buildings near Munjoy Hill. I Googled some pictures from the top of the observatory and they were pretty spectacular. The place impressed me because it was in such good condition. Everywhere along the Eastern Promenade there were runners and walkers. There were a ton of dogs too.

Historical Background:

            The tower was constructed as a communication tower for the harbor in 1807. It was placed on Munjoy Hill because it had the best view of the Atlantic Ocean from there. Captain Lemuel Moody commissioned it to charge incoming and outgoing vessels for “signalizing” them. The tower informed the vessels about conditions in the harbor and the conditions on the incoming ships. The signaling could occur at about 30 miles. This allowed a tremendous amount of time for the port to prepare for cargo offloading, emergencies, or redirect the ships to a different port if necessary. “The tower ceased its signalizing operations in 1923, and has been owned by the City of Portland since 1937.  In 1936 the Portland Observatory was included in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), and in 1939 the tower was restored as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project under President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs of the Great Depression.” The observatory is the only remaining maritime signal remaining in the United States.

            It is in such great condition due to the number of restoration and maintenance projects that have occurred over the years. In 1994 the building was saved from beetles and moisture. A Portland Observatory Restoration Trust was created in 1997 to fund its continuing restoration.  $1.28 million dollars was raised by the trust to restore it to near perfect condition. “Greater Portland Landmarks operates the Observatory as a museum and historic site, offering educational programs and seasonal guided tours.” The observatory is currently used for tourism and opens on May 25.

 

 

http://portlandlandmarks.org/observatory/history/

http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=547611846&ResourceType=Building

 

 

 

 

Deering Oaks - May 7

 

Observations and Reactions:

            I had never been to Deering Oaks prior to this visit. Deering Oaks was, in my opinion, just like any other city park but just on a much smaller scale. There is a bridge, there is a small pond, and there are play areas for kids. The people there were there for leisure and were just walking around, watching their kids, or just relaxing. There are a ton of trees everywhere which makes it not an optimal place for Frisbee (very disappointing). The pond was always a mystery to me as I had driven past the place a gazillion times and I had always wondered why there was a miniature house in the middle. Either way, it was cool to see and the fountains were on which made it even more appealing. My favorite part of the Park was the bridge.

Historical Background:

            Deering Oaks was designed in 1879 by William Goodwin, a Portland engineer. As Portland changed so did the park. In 1883 a bandstand was built. In 1887 the mini duck house and fountain were constructed. In 1894 the castle was constructed. Lighting for the Oaks did not come until 1904 and it only came because the surrounding roads were being upgraded. The amount of lighting the park received increased as the road lighting around the park increased and not until 1980 was the lighting completed. In 1911 the bridge was built and has been under repair since the early 2000s (I thought it looked fine). Lighting still seems to be the main problem in the park as the parks website is begging for money: “Scott Hanson, the City's Historic Preservation Associate, has done some research on the globe fixtures on the pillars and received an estimate of approximately $150,000 for rehabilitating these dramatic features. What a wonderful opportunity for philanthropic generosity!”. The bold and underlining is their emphasis, not mine.

            In the 1930s the circular garden was designed and constructed by William Dougherty, another Portland Engineer. Karl Switzer made it a garden for roses only in the mid 1930s. The  rose garden seems to be an object of pride for the website: “The Rose Circle is one of 134 public rose gardens in the United States that the American Rose Society (ARS) allows to preview its "All American Rose Selections." Each year three plants each of three different new varieties are released for Portland's Rose Circle. Rose fanciers can monitor brand new, not-yet-on-the-market roses”.  On Sundays there is an active Farmer’s market where people can purchase locally grown food. In the late 1680s there was a battle between the British, Native Americans, and French. It can also be found in Max Brooks’ novel World War Z

            The park seems to be in a great location for visitors traffic as Hadlock field and The Expo are a half mile down the road. The future of the park looks promising as there are some people who care a great deal for the park.

http://deeringoaks.org/about/about.shtml

http://deeringoaks.org/index.shtml

 

 

Gross.

McClellan House

Observations and Reactions:

            I walked into the McClellan house and immediately thought of an old John Wayne movie. I don’t know why… perhaps it was the stairway. Anyways, for a house that was built in 1800 it was in really nice condition. I found it amusing that almost every room had a fireplace or woodstove. The walls were a little weird in my opinion but other than that I thought it was a pretty neat house. The whole house was very impressive as I thought, since it was in such good condition, that it was like stepping back in time, as cheesy as that sounds. The people inside the house were very quiet. I guess it is because it is part of a museum. Maybe some people thought it was just a creepy setting because of the wall paper.

Historical Background:

            “The McLellan House (1801) is the product of a post-Revolutionary building boom, fueled by the revival of an energetic maritime economy, that transformed Maine's coastal towns and cities. The House exemplifies the key role that architect-builders played in employing a new architectural vocabulary to create homes that confirmed their owners' position in society and became symbols of individual enterprise and public improvement”. The McLellan House was built in 1800 – 1801. It was named after Hugh McLellan who owned Maine’s largest shipping fleet and later founded the first bank and insurance company in Maine. McLellan built the house for $20,000 at the time of construction. John Kimball was the architect who designed it.

            The shipping business came to a standstill when, in 1807, the British Trade Embargo ceased all shipping. In 1817 the house was sold for just over $4,000. The owner of the house would change several times until Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat and her husband bought the house in 1880. She redecorated the house in a Victorian style but did not alter the structure of the house. Sweat was an artistic authority and knew that there was significance to the house as a monument. When she passed away in 1908 she gave the house to the Portland Society of Art (now the museum that it is attached to) along with money for attaching an art gallery to the house. John Calvin Stevens built the gallery and continued the architectural style from the McClellan House in the gallery. However, some things like the wallpaper and some of the architecture had been changed in the late 1950s which removed some of the Victorian themed items from the house.

In the year 2000 a fundraiser was set into place in order to raise 13.5 million dollars for the preservation of the buildings that the Portland Museum of Art has in its possession. In 2002 the Neoclassical style that the house originally had was restored thanks to the money. To further the educational uses of the house there have been placed, all over the museum and the McClellan House, electronic screens and signs with general information about the house. In 2003 the museum received the National Preservation Honor Award for its efforts to preserve its possessions. An excerpt reads ““As the leading cultural institution in Maine, the museum has set a great example for preservation through the restoration of the McLellan House and the Lorenzo de Medici Sweat Galleries. This is an exemplary project in terms of collaboration and teamwork among museum staff, local historians, and local craftspeople.”

http://www.portlandmuseum.org/about/facts/mclellan.shtml

http://www.portlandmuseum.org/about/facts/preservation.shtml

http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/325.shtml

These were the only pictures I took because I was not thinking for some reason.

 

Portland Museum of Art - April 24

Observations and Reactions:

            I had visited the Portland Museum of Art about a dozen times. Most of the visits were school fieldtrips. One visit was for an Art History class (Professor Virginia Goodlett: super awesome teacher). I’m not an art type of guy but I’ve always enjoyed visiting the museum. Cubism and landscape art are my two favorite types of art and the museum has plenty of that, even a Picasso. In my visit for Art History I had to write a formal analysis paper. From this paper I came to an understanding that History and Art History are not the same thing. The grade I got on the paper proves it. Other than an average grade on my paper I also received an understanding of what art and Art History are. They are definitely not spatters of paint that seven year-olds can do.

            At the visit to the museum for our History of Maine class I focused on the art of Maine. Obviously, I enjoyed the section dedicated to Winslow Homer and his painting in the Maine Marines section. My favorite painting of all time, also studied in my Art History class, was by Frederick Edwin Church. During class and during the visit to the museum I learned that Maine has way more art than I had thought before. What I also learned was that these artists, and authors, attracted people to Maine as a vacation away from the busy city life.

Historical Background:

            The Portland Museum of Art was founded in 1882 originally as the Portland Society of Art. It acquired the McLellan House in 1908. The museum has gradually grown since its creation and has acquired a significant amount of Maine art. Maine art at the museum included that of Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley, Rockwell Kent, John Marin, and Andrew Wyeth. The museum has obtained different collections about Maine and European art from different donors.

            The museum has also made a tremendous effort to maintain and expand its collection. In 2000 the museum started a fundraiser to reopen the MecLellan House and the L. D. M. Sweat Memorial Galleries. The result of this effort was the joining of the two buildings and the “restoration of the neoclassical elegance” to the MecLellan House. In addition to restoring and preserving, the museum wants to further its value for educational and interpretational uses. In 2007 the Museum purchased Winslow Homer’s studio and home on Prouts Neck. Other buildings are also being purchased and restored in the Portland area in order to expand its collection.

            “Currently the Museum is visited by 150,000 visitors a year, approximately 10,000 of whom are school children. Museum membership is at an all-time high of 8,000 members and continues to grow. Now and into the future, the Museum is committed to serving as a dynamic center for the visual arts and strives to be an essential resource for the people of Maine and New England.”

http://www.portlandmuseum.org/about/facts.shtml

Sorry about not having pictures. I forgot. But you saw me!