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The Multimedia Page is a collection of slide shows and videos that have appeared in the South Portlander since 2007. Please note the date at the end of the entry to see when it was first published. Individual photos may be available for reprint. Please contact the South Portlander for details.
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SLIDESHOW: Firsthand Look at a Piece of History
The doors of the old armory were opened to visitors on Saturday, with a steady stream of people walking the darkened halls and viewing rooms that are empty and in disrepair. Wires hung from ceilings and walls looked stained with water. Front steps of the building are crumbling. Clearly, the city has a big renovation job ahead, if the Council chooses to move government offices into the 1941 building, which is considered a piece of the city’s history.
Visitors Saturday were able to see firsthand the mammoth vehicle storage bay, the size of a warehouse. They could wander upstairs to a viewing deck, and see a series of small rooms. Currently, the city is using the storage bay for vehicles, and a mechanic with the fire department has an office in the building, though that was not noticeable to visitors. Getting into and out of the parking lot was not an easy task. Folks coming from the east side of South Portland had to change direction on Broadway without making a U-turn to access the armory parking lot.
Here are some highlights of the tour, if you missed it today or want another look. A public forum will be held on Oct. 27. (Click on the photo, if you want to pause the slideshow.)
Posted by Linda on 10/11 at 07:58 PM
Armory
Slideshows
(6) Comments
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By McKenzie on 2008 10 11
Again Linda, I ask you, where did you hear that a mechanic had moved his office into the armory?
“a mechanic with the fire department has an office in the building, though that was not noticeable to visitors.”
Was the FD hiding this supposed office? Why was it not noticeable?
By Linda on 2008 10 12
From Linda Hersey:
Dear McKenzie: According to the city, the Armory is being used for storage and a wing of the building serves as the Fire Department’s maintenance garage. The mechanic is located in that area.
I did not suggest that the city is hiding this. I said it was not noticeable to visitors. I did not see it as I toured the building.
By Dual on 2008 10 12
The armory building is ugly and depressing. Not all older buildings are gems which must be preserved.
By Sharky on 2008 10 14
Thank you for providing the slide show - I did not have an opportunity to attend the open house, and I appreciate being able to get a glimpse of the inside.
Were it not for the parking issues, I think there are a number of things this building could become. South Portland Arena Football, anyone? Roller rink? Indoor hockey?
How about a centralized arts and crafts center, with studios, classrooms, movies, lectures and performances and other events, shops, galleries and the like? That would certainly be a draw for residents and visitors alike, if it was done well.
By mike on 2008 10 16
It could have been the new home of Children’s Theatre of Maine, had South Portland’s City Council not scooped it out from under them without public consent in a time when we had neither the money to buy it, nor any plan for what it would eventually become.
That notwithstanding, I am entertained by the PR campaign they are running to attempt to move this boondoggle from a negative to a positive.
I think we should knock it down and make it into South Portland’s newest dog park, where no children, senior citizens, or residents of Willard Beach are allowed. Ha!!!
By Interested Resident on 2008 10 16
I toured the Armory and feel the building has potential to be developed into something that will benefit us all as a city. However, the economy being as unstable as it is right now, it may be a while before a viable plan could be implemented.
I visited the Fire Station after my tour of the Armory and I asked to see a new waste-oil burning furnace that turned out to be in the FD’s mechanic shop that is located in the Armory. There have been comments about it in this area in this blog so I thought I would share what I saw. The mechanic’s area was apparently cordoned off from the general public using hazard tape because it is an active garage, with hazardous materials present and equipment used to service vehicles. I am sure no one was trying to conceal anything...it’s just like your auto dealership doesn’t let you go into their garage due to potential hazards. I hope this clears up any mystery around that portion of the Armory left out of the open house.
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