4 minute read
All Aboard to Portland, Maine
Above: Custom House Wharf in Portland, Maine. Photograph by iStock.com/Desha Utsick.
by MEGAN REEL, Preservation Programs Coordinator
The best convenings challenge us to think in new ways, see problems from different perspectives, and prioritize collaboration to develop innovative solutions. The Historic New England Summit, now in its third year, embodies this spirit by bringing together interdisciplinary expertise to explore some of the most urgent problems facing communities. The Summit takes a broad view of preservation, considering the many ways preservation intersects with and impacts quality of life. Over the last two years, it has tackled topics as simultaneously varied and integrally linked as climate change, housing, placemaking, education, accessibility, and inclusion, all united by a single goal of creating the most resilient and equitable versions of the places that we call home. This year on November 14 and 15, the Summit heads to Portland, Maine, where New England’s preservation community will once again gather to examine contemporary challenges with regional, national, and international implications.
Portland is an ideal destination for the 2024 Summit. This year’s Summit program promises to look even more deeply at the ways diverse experiences from across fields such as historic preservation, planning, museum studies, arts and culture, architecture, and public history can combine to promote thriving communities, with Portland providing an exceptional setting for these discussions. The city is home to impressive museums and heritage organizations, a highly engaged preservation community, an innovative arts and cultural scene, and a storied historic downtown. Nineteenth-century brick storefronts stand next to modern commercial buildings. Stately Gothic Revival churches and Federal-style civic buildings overlook two-hundred-year-old working wharves. And residential neighborhoods showcase an eclectic mix of houses of all sizes and styles. Preservation’s impact on community vitality can be sensed throughout the city, carrying conversations beyond Summit session rooms and out into the world. The Portland community is also at the forefront of developing models and approaches to address some of New England’s most pressing challenges, from sea level rise to housing affordability. The creative approaches to improving quality of life for all Portlanders epitomize the goals of Summit conversations.
Holding the Summit at the historic Westin Portland Harborview, formerly the Eastland Hotel (1927), places it in the middle of that cultural landscape and in the heart of Portland’s thriving Arts District. Designed by local architect Herbert W. Rhodes, the Eastland Hotel was once promoted as the largest hotel in New England. Now part of the Congress Street Historic District, the hotel is surrounded by historic landmarks, museums, theaters, and art galleries, and located within a renowned performing and visual arts scene. Portland's Old Port and waterfront, with fresh ocean air, cobblestone streets, historic buildings, and modern shops, are just a short walk away, evoking both a past deeply tied to the water and a modern maritime economy.
At the heart of the Summit is an ethos of community building that brings participants together and looks toward the future. The Summit centers the idea that preservation work is essential to improving lives and sustaining communities, and the basis of this work is a connected and active preservation movement. Gathering in Portland furthers that movement in a place primed for discussions spanning climate change, wellness, trust, affordability, and inclusion while prioritizing opportunities and creative solutions.
