Biddeford Revealed (In pictures!) (Saco, Kennebunk: city hall, homes, dorms)

[lookinforahome]

I read it was built during possibly 1926-1927...'spose it was put there as a serious invitation and left as a humorous tradition.

[lrfox]

Thanks for the pictures.

The one thing that gives me a lot of hope for Biddeford is that the basics of a solid downtown are still in tact. There is density... wall to wall buildings. In fact, while gentrification has left the Old Port in Portland (save for a few small blocks between Fore and Commercial) with giant gaps in the streetwall and surface parking lots which really add a lot of blight to a once great area, Biddeford remains mostly in tact. Good architecture, it's got a good representation, and a core (albeit a small one) of business owners and residents who care about the town. Biddeford WILL build on its potential.

I do, however hate that massive blank brick wall (just south of downtown, right next to the bridge) in your first picture. I understand the significance of the building, but that fortress of a wall needs MAJOR modification before you can expect any streetlife there (we're talking storefronts and windows... at the very least, a hand painted mural).

Anyway, great pics. I have a lot of love for Biddeford. If Maine ever gets high speed rail connection that draws REAL commuters as opposed to the glorified tourist train they have now (only 21% of Downeaster riders- most of them from Southern NH- commute regularly for work... a STAGGERINGLY low number), you will see a boom in growth and development in this area, but we have to hope rail service stays in place to begin with.

Thanks again.

[elston]

Originally Posted by lookinforahome

I read it was built during possibly 1926-1927...'spose it was put there as a serious invitation and left as a humorous tradition.

There was a time (even in my lifetime) when bars were pretty much the domain of MEN and there would be a seperate side room for dining...where ladies were invited....I think in the "Archie's Place" after All in the Family they had that kind of bar and dining area....In those times it would be "forward" and unusual for a woman to go into the bar room.

So I think lookinforahome is right.....it was a serious invitation...announcing that this was the kind of place a lady could enter without being exposed to ruffians....the management would make sure the language wasnt coarse or inappropriate.

[lookinforahome]

I do, however hate that massive blank brick wall (just south of downtown, right next to the bridge) in your first picture. I understand the significance of the building, but that fortress of a wall needs MAJOR modification before you can expect any streetlife there (we're talking storefronts and windows... at the very least, a hand painted mural).

I comepletely agree. You actually voiced what I was thinking when I started reading about the development going on in the mills. By the way, I stumbled upon this:

Archetype Architects

Residences at Riverdam page and the Biddeford Mills Renovation show renderings of ideas for the Biddeford mills.

Also about the rails, the new station is officially opening on Feb 24th in Saco! Looks great!

More on topic though, I love the buildings in the picture near the Natural Foods store. A lot of color! The white building I showed, I think used to be Renys. It is in need of repair and currently is vacant like several other storefronts in Biddeford. I hope those stores get filled up soon.

[elston]

The Mill Brick Yards:

When I visit old mills especially the big ones....Manchester NH ..... I am in awe of the labor that the bricks represent....from digging clay and fireing them, transporting them....and then carrying them up scaffold with the mortor and laying them "side by each" one by one......on a small scale I think of the pyramids of Egypt.....and then I think of the functionality of the mill....profit driven so an economy in the way they used the tremendous amounts of labor and building materials--not intended to be works of art..but to enclose space, people and materials to make things and make money--but in their own way they are cathederals to labor and to enterprise.

I envision the workers for whom the rhythm of their daily lives was the stacatto around the work day....bells to call them in...clattering machines..and then I see the little nooks and crannies where tired workers could catch a breath of air off the river....socialize a little....maybe fool and gossip and perhaps dream...and then home to one of the tenements....generation after generation. I sense the dignity of labor when I look at those brick walls....I think of the sacrifices that went into making the American middle class and made America an industrial giant.

[MidCoast Guru]

Isn't there a Burger Joint there, "Rapid Ray's"???

Remember going there late night to soak up sum cool refreshing beverages

[fxtrader]

Rapid Rays is just accross saco island on Main St. in Saco. It is located along an old section of storefronts. Very nice area and great burgers.

[lookinforahome]

I like Biddeford downtown more than Saco downtown. It's denser, more to do. Just needs to be cleaned up. A lot of people are starting to do that now too!

[elston]

I think the two communities are just dormant and waiting to come back into their own...but this time not as centers of industry but as residential, artistic, tourism and commercial centers of development and activity.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by lookinforahome

I like Biddeford downtown more than Saco downtown. It's denser, more to do. Just needs to be cleaned up. A lot of people are starting to do that now too!

I think Biddeford and Saco's downtown areas, while close to each other, are very different. Saco's has a small town feel (sort of reminds me of Downtown Farmington) while Biddeford's has a bit more density and urbanity to it. In redevelopment, I picture Saco maintaining that old timey New England charm/ neighborhood feel (laundromats, burger joints, pharmacies, and those types of businesses, some of which already exist there) while Biddeford will be the focal point of a more radical change in terms of arts and such (The trendier restaurants, bars, art galleries, etc). Being so close to each other can ONLY be mutually beneficial to both towns.

I think a modern pedestrian bridge (like this one in Glasgow: http://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk...ridge_0890.jpg ) would be an EXCELLENT link from downtown Biddeford to Saco Island which would continue on a nice walkway (maybe through the existing raised plaza at University College?) over by the train station and Downtown Saco. Furthermore, the parking lot behind the new Brew Pub and University College would be an EXCELLENT spot for a little park overlooking said bridge, the river and the rest of the brilliant mills (renovated by this point, of course) and Downtown Biddeford. One can dream, right?