Greater Portland Landmarks

Tickets are on sale for our largest fundraiser of the year: the Preservation Awards Bash! 🎉

Join us Tuesday, October 27, 5:30–8:30 p.m. at historic Mariner's Church as we celebrate preservation in all its forms: a song about a the Great Fire of 1866, traditional restoration projects, the people who make historic fabric a community value, and art that captures what makes Portland special.

Reserve your spot with a ticket purchase: https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/shop/2026preservationawardsbashtkts

Did YOU go to school in Portland? Do you recognize these historic buildings for learning? How many of Portland's schoolhouses can you name? Whether you spent your childhood in one of these halls or just love a good architectural story, this one's for you.

Join Greater Portland Landmarks and Mechanics' Hall for "The Schoolhouse and the City: Portland's Buildings for Learning" — the first installment of our collaborative Temples of Knowledge Series.

Architectural historian Julie Larry will guide us through Portland's rich history of school architecture with an illustrated presentation, followed by a lively discussion with Bob Greene and Rick Romano on what makes these buildings meaningful — and worth preserving. Come test your memory, discover some surprising history, and talk preservation with fellow Portlanders.

📅 Wednesday, September 23 | 6:00pm
📍 Mechanics' Hall, Portland
🎟️ $10 (donors to GPL in the last year, use code GPLLOVE for $3 off!)
More info and tickets available at: https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/templesofknowledge

Generously sponsored by Developers Collaborative.
Thank you to Maine Memory Network and Maine Historical Society for image use.

We are thrilled to recognize Vintage Glass Works as an official sponsor of the 2026 Preservation Awards Bash!

Preserving the historic soul of our city requires meticulous craftsmanship and true dedication. (You can see their work at the 2025 award winning Thompson Block.) As experts in restoring the original wood, steel, and stained-glass windows that give New England’s landmark buildings their character, the team at Vintage Glass Works understands exactly what makes Portland’s heritage worth protecting.

Thanks to their generous support, GPL will continue using our city's historic places and stories as a catalyst for a more connected, resilient, and inspired community.

🎟️ Join us in celebrating our city and award winners! Get your tickets to the Awards Bash today! Link in bio or click https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/shop/2026preservationawardsbashtkts

Kate was honored to be one of the readers at the Constitution Day event which took place last week at the Eastern Cemetery.

This event recognized the roughly 300 black residents of Portland who are buried at that location by reading their names aloud.

Did you know that Portland was called "Forest City" and has been stewarding its trees since the mid-1800s?

Help preserve that legacy by sharing your thoughts, concerns, and ideas. The Portland Urban Forestry Master Plan will provide guidance and set priorities for years to come, so it's time to speak for the trees!

Make your voice heard!! The City is developing an Urban Forest Master Plan and needs community input!!

There are two ways to get involved:
🌲Take the quick 10 question survey online

🌳Join us for the public workshop happening next Thursday, September 17th from 5-7PM at Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall. No RSVP necessary just show up!

https://engage.zencity.io/portland/en-US/engagements/0fde0ea3-6a75-441a-828a-811f8d34cc37

Tickets are ON SALE now for the Preservation Awards Bash! 🎉

Join us at the historic Mariner's Church on October 27 for live 1920s jazz from the Ragtime Destroyers, great food & drinks, and a night celebrating the people and places keeping Portland's story alive.

This year we're honoring: Rob Wiener, David Lloyd, Woodhull, ChoralArt, Greenhut Galleries, Victoria Mansion & East Brown Cow.

🎟️ Tickets: $125 — link in bio
📅 Tuesday, October 27 | 5:30–8:30 PM
📍 Mariner's Church, 368 Fore Street

🎶 From FIRE! to Resurgam — one Portland story, reimagined 🎶

We sat down with composer Travis M. Ramsey, Composer to talk about FIRE!, his work created for ChoralArt — and now a 2026 Preservation Award winner. (Celebrate with us at our Preservation Awards Bash on October 27!)

This September, FIRE! rises again: the The Portland Symphony Orchestra has commissioned a full orchestral expansion of the piece for its season-opening concert, "Resurgam," featuring over 150 voices — including ChoralArt Masterworks, the PSO Children's Chorus, Scarborough High School Chamber Singers, and Greely High School Honor Choirs.

📅 Sunday, Sept 27 & Tuesday, Sept 29 — Merrill Auditorium
🎟️ Tickets available now, https://portlandsymphony.org/events/

Head to the Greater Portland Landmarks blog to hear from Travis himself — how FIRE! began, what it means to hear it grow into Resurgam, and why this story of destruction and rebuilding still resonates in Portland today. 🔗 https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/gplblog/didyouknow/sept-3-2026

Celebrating the Best of Portland 🎉

Elevating projects that capture some of the best of Portland — that's our Preservation Awards "why." Every year, Greater Portland Landmarks brings our community together to celebrate these achievements as one.

These tangible outcomes show what historic preservation truly means to a community. They inspire us all and serve as catalysts for thoughtful preservation work year after year.

Join us on October 27 at Mariner's Church to feel the excitement and momentum of our movement, as we celebrate the 7 projects that captured our vision for what preservation should be! ✨

Tickets go on sale September 15 — watch here and join our newsletter so you don't miss it!

On this day in 1961, Portland's Union Station fell — its clock tower crashing down in seconds and ending decades as a city landmark. The loss sparked a passion for preservation that still drives Greater Portland Landmarks' staff, board, and supporters today.

Built in 1888, designed by Bradlee, Winslow & Wetherell in French Chateaux style, the granite station symbolized the prosperity the Maine Central Railroad brought to Portland — MCRR once held more track mileage than any other New England line.

But the automobile age emptied the rails. The final passenger train pulled in with just 34 riders on Sept. 6, 1960. By June 1961, the site was sold to a Boston developer with plans for a shopping center, and demolition was guaranteed. Demolition started just weeks later; and when the tower came down — it was watched by hundreds of mourning Portlanders.

This anniversary is a yearly reminder of why Greater Portland Landmarks continues its mission to use Portland's heritage — its buildings, places, culture, and stories — as a catalyst for connection, affordability, and resilience.

Photo credit: Maine Memory Network #10754 and #10756

SAVE THE DATE 📅 October 27

Greater Portland Landmarks' Preservation Awards Bash — our biggest fundraising event of the year — is coming!

This year we're celebrating 7 award winners whose work shows just how many forms historic preservation can take: a song capturing a community-altering fire, traditional construction, new housing creation, and visual art that captures what makes Portland special — and more.

🎟️ Tickets go on sale September 15
📩 Join our mailing list now (link in bio) to be first in line