Urban Renewal in Maine focused on removing areas considered to be slums and blighted and replacing them with new structures, highways, access roads and housing communities. It was hoped this would improve the appearance of communities, as well as bolster cities’ economies. Some of the most significant structures that were demolished during Urban Renewal in Maine were Portland’s Union Station, Mechanic Falls’s Grand Trunk Railroad Station and the Portland Post Office. These had been long standing and historic buildings. In Portland, the Urban Renewal Projects also brought low-income housing developments, including one high rise for senior citizens. Additionally, a civic center was built and parking lots were added. The new construction may have succeeded in providing easier access to businesses and creating “efficient” buildings that housed more people, however, many regretted the loss of classic architecture and historic structures.
Bangor, Maine, from 1958-1964, was also impacted by the Urban Renewal process. One of the most significant demolitions that took place in Bangor was the 1961 demolition of the Town Hall building [1]. This was, and continues to be, a controversial decision as many feel the new town hall lacks the architectural grace of the demolished hall. The demolition of Bangor’s Union Station, with its Romanesque Revival Clocktower, to create a strip mall was also controversial and mirrored similar renewal efforts around the country [2]. Also, since shoppers needed parking lots, the Kenduskeag Stream was narrowed to make space for cars [3]. These efforts may have made shopping more convenient during this consumerist era, but for many, the heart of the city was lost [4].
Link to this article for more information about urban renewal projects in the greater Maine area [5].
1. Candace Kanes, “Urban Renewal, Urban Removal,” Maine History Online, accessed November 24, 2015.https://www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/859/page/1269/display
2. Tom McCord, “On the Threshold: The Story of Bangor’s Urban Renewal,” Bangor Daily News, June 12, 2009, accessed December 9, 2015.http://bangordailynews.com/2009/06/12/news/on-the-threshold-the-story-of-bangors-urban-renewal/.
3. McCord, “On the Threshold: The Story of Bangor’s Urban Renewal.”
4. McCord, “On the Threshold: The Story of Bangor’s Urban Renewal.”
5. Kanes, “Urban Renewal, Urban Removal.”