Maine State Pier
43°39′27″N 70°14′55″W / 43.657476°N 70.248634°W The Maine State Pier is a municipal-owned deepwater marine facility and music venue located at the intersection of Commercial Street and Franklin Street on the eastern waterfront in Portland, Maine.[1]
It was completed in 1924. In the mid-2000s, competing proposals were examined to redevelop the Maine State Pier into a tourist destination, but difficulties with state regulations and the late-2000s recession halted proposed redevelopment.[2] In 2009, the first annual Portland Lobster Fest was held at the State Pier.[3]
In 2009, the Portland City Council approved spending $2.4 million to redevelop the end of pier. Improvements included the creation of an outdoor music venue.[4] In 2011, rapper Wiz Khalifa and others appeared at the venue. In 2016, Maine native Howie Day performed "Collide" and other songs at the pier. In '07, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals from Vermont played there. Boston acts Guster played there in '09, and Rachel Platten in '15. The venue has a maximum capacity of 3,000.[5] https://www.setlist.fm/search?page=5&query=Maine+State+Pier
During the 2011 Portland mayoral campaign, several candidates, including former State Senator Ethan Strimling made the lack of redevelopment at the Maine State Pier a key campaign issue. Many of Strimling's largest campaign donors were employees of Ocean Properties, one of the companies which sought to redevelop the pier during the 2000s.[6]
External links
References
- ^ "Policy Statement for Maine State Pier". Portland, Maine City Council. September 18, 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
- ^ Billings, Randy (November 15, 2011). "Lobster dealer prepped for new lease at Maine State Pier in Portland". The Forecaster. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ Parkhurst, Emily (June 21, 2010). "Falmouth Rotary brings 2nd annual LobsterFest to Maine State Pier in Portland". The Forecaster. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ Bucklin, Kate (August 18, 2009). "Portland councilors eye music venue, public dock for state pier". The Forecaster. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Maine State Pier" (PDF). PortlandEvents.com. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ Woodard, Colin. "Who bankrolled Portland's mayoral candidates?". Portland Phoenix. Retrieved 15 November 2011.