Congress Square Plaza Has Changed Through The Years – Should It Change Again? [PHOTOS]
On June 10, Portland voters will decide if a sale of part of Congress Square Plaza should move forward, an area that has seen everything from Walgreens to Dunkin' Donuts over the past 100 years. Here's what Congress Square looks like today
The Facebook page Portland Maine History 1786 to present shows us what it looked like from 1927 to 1979
The Portland City Council voted to sell two-thirds of Congress Square Plaza plaza to the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel which wants to build a multi-use event center and renovate the rest of the plaza keeping it open to the public.
The organization Friends of Congress Square Park gathered enough signatures to put the matter to a vote. According to portlandmaine.gov, a yes vote would require the city to receive an endorsement from the Land Bank Commission and affirmative votes from eight of the nine City Councilors before selling any of the 60 public spaces. That would prevent the project in the plaza from going forward.
What do you think? Should the city be allowed to sell Congress Square Plaza? Do you think the revitalization plan proposed is a good one? Vote in our poll and share your comments below and on our Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #PortlandParks