Lewiston Drive Pictures (Portland, Auburn, Biddeford: apartment, city hall, how much)

[lookinforahome]

Drove through Lewiston today, managed to snap some (low quality) pictures with my cellphone.













There were some beautiful buildings there, but overall the whole place was very run down. Had a depressing look/feel to it overall. Many vacant storefronts. If there was a lot of work and money put into though, this would be a thriving city! I apologize for the low quality of the pictures, I was driving and they were on a cellphone!

[island mermaid]

Well, they weren't that bad considering they were taken with a cell. I still recognized most of the locations. I have some horrible memories associated with that church that will remain a huge secret for the rest of my life. Teenage stuff.... partying after a Raspberries concert..... ewwwww....

Lisbon St looks the same to me. So does Main St. One of them looks like maybe Park St.

Thx for sharing.

[lrfox]

^Like many smaller New England cities, there's a lot of potential given the history, architecture, and density. Lowell, MA would be a good role model for Lewiston in that they have a similar industrial age past and Lowell has managed to rebuild a thriving downtown even though it's not far from more significant cities.

I would start by exposing more of the cobbles on quieter downtown streets, taxing heavily the at-grade parking lots (this tactic would help in the redevelopment of Portland's Old Port parking lots as well) to encourage positive development (many owners of these lots just leave them open and charge for parking instead of building there), and having the city buy certain vacant storefronts and allow artists to live/work there provided that they display and use the windows as gallery/display space. Arts are/ have been the catalyst for many a downtown revitalization (see: Portland, ME; Lowell, MA; Newburyport, MA; New Bedford, MA; etc) and they could certainly help in Lewiston.

More methods that could help is if the city and Bates worked a bit harder on integrating the college with downtown. Again, many other recovering cities have used this strategy when possible (Lowell and New Bedford MA). Colleges love to promote their co-existence with the community and if Lewiston offered maybe a tax break the college could spend a lot (more? how much of a Bates presence is there downtown?) of money downtown.

Another thing would be to improve lighting (christmas lights in trees, brighter street lights, etc). Making it easier to open bars and restaurants by easing the process of obtaining liquor licenses helps because more restuarants and bars mean more people, more eyes on the streets and less crime.

All of these things help a city thrive again, and Lewiston has potential. I hope it eventually gets there.

[juststoppinby]

Thank you for posting those pics! I am from there and it makes me realize that I need to be taking a trip down to see friends. I try to go down every couple of months. I miss it terribly. I love living in this area but miss "home". There are some areas that are run down but there are also areas that have come a long long way recently. Lisbon Street actually being one of the areas that have been cleaned up and several new businesses have opened there as well as a college. All cities have good and bad areas and Lewiston is no exception. However as with all cities, if you get out of downtown there are areas that are quiet and nice. When I was first divorced and moved to Lewiston, I lived across from the St's. Peter and Paul Basilica. That is downtown. Although it might not be the best area in the city, I always felt safe there. I then ended up buying a home that was not downtown and lived there for several years and loved it very much. If I had my way, I would move back there. Lewiston gets a bad rep sometimes. Sometimes the reputation is deserved but not always. Then again...all cities are like that I think. Sorry to ramble...thank you for the pics!

[elston]

Thank you for sharing the pictures lookinforahome and your experiences sdstlouis; I always like to hear someone describe their "home town" and relate the positive.....especially when others with less exposure and attatchment like to trash it. I think the archetecture looks beautiful....I love the old new england mill towns and the little bit gritty atmosphere that surronds them.....the history of the people lingers. I prefer the old brick fronts rather than aluminum siding facades and plate glass attempts to modernize. I have the same feelings about Saco/Biddeford, Manchester NH and Westbrook. There is something about those towns that I find very attractive.

[cdodge04]

I work in Lewiston-Auburn a lot and I can't stand it. Lewiston has gotten so dirty and half the places never seem safe. I am suppose to be over on Peirce St assessing the burnt apartment building, but I refuse to get out of the car there.

[MRVphotog]

Lewiston has had some tough times and is trying to move forward. Two of the buldings in your pics are two of my fav buildings. I really love the old New England architecture. The cathedral is big(old europeon architechture) and as your driving into Lewiston it really stands out and the City Hall.

I am suppose to be over on Peirce St assessing the burnt apartment building, but I refuse to get out of the car there.

At least it's not on Knox St.

[mainebrokerman]

i first worked in lewiston in 1986, met some really nice folks there, lewiston use to be a powerhouse mill-town, rich with french-canadiens, and thier culture.... like many maine mill towns, it is going thru a transition...also keep in mind, lewiston is one of the most populated cities in maine,,,

[mollysmiles]

hey, that little cell phone did a pretty good job!

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by elston

Thank you for sharing the pictures lookinforahome and your experiences sdstlouis; I always like to hear someone describe their "home town" and relate the positive.....especially when others with less exposure and attatchment like to trash it.

It happens too often. It's disheartening to hear that everyone in a particular part of the state is _____. We're all poor, mean, unfriendly, uneducated, uncultured and unemployed in WaCo. I think the best we can do is keep in mind exactly what you said - when someone has less exposure, take the comment from where it comes. It's a big state. We won't all travel to see the entire state so that we can speak from a little personal experience.

I think the archetecture looks beautiful....I love the old new england mill towns and the little bit gritty atmosphere that surronds them.....the history of the people lingers. I prefer the old brick fronts rather than aluminum siding facades and plate glass attempts to modernize. I have the same feelings about Saco/Biddeford, Manchester NH and Westbrook. There is something about those towns that I find very attractive.

I love architecture. I'd hate to see what happened in Boston happen in Maine. The beautiful buildings, so full of history, are surrounded by dull cement buildings that look like they won't have an interesting story to tell 200 years from now. I think any community, no matter how run down or poor at the moment, has great potential.