Business Development
Major Development Initiatives: Downtown Revitalization
For over three decades, the City of Bangor has implemented programs to preserve downtown's historic character and sense of place while assuring that it meets the needs of the community. Today, Downtown is a lively residential neighborhood, a showcase for effective building re-use projects, and the cultural center of the city.
Some of our downtown success stories include:
The W. T. Grant Building, constructed after World War II, testified to Bangor's retail stature in eastern Maine. After an extensive
period of under-utilization, the City purchased the building and
returned it to significant retail use as the home of Epic Sports. The University of Maine System
offices recently relocated to the buildin's upper stories.
In the heart of downtown, the 6-floor Freeses Building was vacant from the late 1980's through the mid 1990's when
it was acquired by the City. Thanks to a combination of private and
public investment, the building has re-emerged as a showpiece serving
as an elderly and assisted living facility and home to the Maine
Discovery Museum, the largest children's museum North of Boston and an attraction that draws visitors from eastern Maine and
beyond.
The peeling paint and empty windows of the vacant Bangor
Furniture Buildings created a derelict image on a major downtown
arterial. Apartments, restaurants, and offices now fill the
complex. This project, along with two adjacent mixed use redevelopments, transformed the character of two entire city blocks. All of
these projects were assisted with Community Development loan funds.
For several decades, The Paramount Hotel Building was vacant and
neglected. To stave off destruction of this historic and well designed structure, the
City took possession, made emergency repairs, and marketed it for
redevelopment. The building was purchased and converted to special needs
housing by a state-assisted private non-profit that had previously
renovated the adjacent building. Community
Development loan funds provided a critical component of the project's
financing.
A sizeable challenge grant by the City kick-started the fund-raising that enabled the University of Maine Museum of Art to open a new facility in downtown Bangor, occupying the first level of historic Norumbega Hall. Eastern Maine Development Corporation recently relocated to this building's second and third levels, returning it to full and active use.
