Biddeford Revealed (In pictures!) (town, downtown, community)

[elston]

I think the best example I have ever seen of the sheer beauty of the restored store fronts is on Middle Street in Portland. There are three buildings with fairly ornate facades.....that are breath-taking. Google Image Result for http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/3163127303_d5c2c8d45f.jpg

I believe the effort to extend the historic district is to combat the altering of some of the cities "natural resources"... urban renewal took so much away from so many communities....(Maine seems to have been spared the rush to pedestrian malls and wholesale destruction of its history); we need to value and appreciate our past and preserve our monuments to our history.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by elston

I think the best example I have ever seen of the sheer beauty of the restored store fronts is on Middle Street in Portland. There are three buildings with fairly ornate facades.....that are breath-taking. Google Image Result for http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/3163127303_d5c2c8d45f.jpg

I believe the effort to extend the historic district is to combat the altering of some of the cities "natural resources"... urban renewal took so much away from so many communities....(Maine seems to have been spared the rush to pedestrian malls and wholesale destruction of its history); we need to value and appreciate our past and preserve our monuments to our history.

I agree with that. Great efforts have been taken to restore those buildings and it adds to the charm of the area. It's a shame so many were replaced, but Portland's fared far better than many places. Pedestrian Malls can work (Burlington VT and Wharf Street in Portland come to mind as good examples), but too frequently they take away more than they give

Another great example of facade restoration near where I grew up is the recent renovation of much New Bedford, Massachusetts' historic building stock downtown during the process of making a portion of it a National Historic Park (Whaling District National Historic Park) in the late 90s early 2000s. This is a city that was pretty much desolate and since the National Park status has been granted and buildings renovated, the downtown area has been brought back to life and is now quite vibrant.

I took a couple of photos around Christmas time 2008 and these three show some of what I'm talking about in New Bedford:






It's funny because people in New Bedford (at the time of the restoration) mentioned Portland's Old Port many times as an example of how to properly restore a district of historic buildings.

[lookinforahome]

I'm not sure exactly what this means, but a book I read said that the Marble Block building used Biddeford's first example of plate glass. I don't know if this means plate glass made in Biddeford or what...anyways another thing I forgot to mention was the streetcars. Biddeford had streetcar tracks all around the city. They went down Main St. and when replaced by the bus, many said the streetcar was more reliable. I think they even went around the backwoods of the city, which was implied by some of the pictures I saw.

There are some really beautiful pictures of Biddeford in the early 1900's that I'm trying to get copies of to show you all. I hope the mills do well. One mill that seems abandoned is particularly interesting to me. It is very large (6-7 stories, tons of sqaure footage) and set away from the rest of the mills. There are some great old pictures of that one too. Heart of Biddeford just received a grant from some foundation to help preserve the downtown's culture and such. They haven't said exactly what they're doing with it yet, but I will be interested to find out.

[lrfox]

Oh PLEASE find those pictures! I love seeing vibrant communities in their peaks. Especially the old ones.

[elston]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Oh PLEASE find those pictures! I love seeing vibrant communities in their peaks. Especially the old ones.

There are many wonderful old photographs of Biddeford at this site of the Maine Historical Society... Maine Memory Network - Search Results for Biddeford maine Enjoy!

[lrfox]

Awesome site, elston, thanks! I have tried to rep you again, but I still need to spread it. Apparently I really need to use that feature more because it seems every time I try to rep someone, I am told I need to "spread it around"

[elston]

That's ok....not to worry. I am glad that you liked the site......I liked the picture of the Chinese Laundry owner standing with the bakers from the neighboring bakery.

[lookinforahome]

They say Biddeford was at its peak in the 1950s. My mother recalls going there to shop for clothes and everything. She says it was bustling constantly, and there were upscale shops and department stores. She said in Lewiston her Mother used to be able to just drop them off and they would wonder through the stores all day. Its sadly different now of course. The other day I drove down Main St. in Biddeford. I saw several homeless people, a man sleeping on a rug, many abandoned store fronts. Very dismal. Biddeford has its good and bad days.

[elston]

Originally Posted by lookinforahome

They say Biddeford was at its peak in the 1950s. My mother recalls going there to shop for clothes and everything. She says it was bustling constantly, and there were upscale shops and department stores. She said in Lewiston her Mother used to be able to just drop them off and they would wonder through the stores all day. Its sadly different now of course. The other day I drove down Main St. in Biddeford. I saw several homeless people, a man sleeping on a rug, many abandoned store fronts. Very dismal. Biddeford has its good and bad days.

But its best days are yet to come! I believe that! I believe Biddeford is destined to become a vibrant center of the arts and of commerce and a magnet for young visionaries all the way to retirement couples. It is still alive, and its location, infra structure and spirit marks it for so much more.

Some day people will be clamoring for tickets and a Biddeford address will be the standard for....."I have it made". Harlam is on its way to being a desirable NYC address......Biddeford can turn on a dime. It is a lovely city, with great archetectural and cultural history....and an unbeatable location.

[lookinforahome]

I agree. It is already starting to turn around. I think we just need the right people in place to set it on the right path.