Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Hartford, Portsmouth, San Diego, Savannah, Tucson. What do these cities share with Portland? They all have a Congress Street, named not for the legislative branch of government, but for the meaning of ‘congress’—coming together. All Congress Streets have probably seen good and bad times as economic cycles come and go. They’ve experienced the advances, trends, and mistakes in urban planning, and felt the strains of population growth and shrinkage. The hope remains that a Congress Street will be a lively place to gather for work or pleasure.
Look at our downtown Congress Street. Start at Washington Avenue and head west to Bramhall Square. It’s got a lot going for it: history, architecture, cemetery, City Hall, businesses, services, residences, hotels, entertainment venues, museums, fire stations, places to eat/drink/shop/worship, libraries, schools, galleries, parks, gardens, WOW! And yet, our current Congress Street isn’t feeling well and needs to pull itself together.
Beads of Congress Street
Think of that stretch of Congress Street as a string of spaced beads. The first bead is Eastern Cemetery, then Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and City Hall, followed by Monument, Congress, Longfellow, and Bramhall Squares. There’s a badly frayed portion of the string crossing Franklin, then passing the surface parking lot where “Jesus Saved” before moving to Canco Road.
Reny’s is about to close their downtown location potentially leading to a large empty storefront on Congress St. -Photos by T. Zeli
Thankfully Lincoln Park and Central Fire Station offer visual relief. The rest of the string and the beads have weak spots and chips. Empty buildings, some for years, with notices in the windows for neighborhood planning meetings long past. Too many of the occupied ground-level commercial entities are just not interesting, some are downright creepy. Either no windows, or no window displays, or the same window displays for years, or the windows are covered by paint or paper. Definitely not an invitation to take a stroll to see what’s new.
The City, Portland Downtown, and other organizations teamed to address what ails downtown Congress Street. A group of residents spearheaded the formation of Friends of Monument Square. To succeed, Congress Street needs to draw folks to a variety of interesting things that don’t require spending. It also needs a wide variety of interesting things to see and do and buy at a range of prices.
And while Congress Street recovers, we all need to start visiting more often to help her get and stay healthy.
What About Congress Street?
La Vida Local
Irregular Notes on West End Life & Beyond
What about Congress Street?
By Rosanne Graef
Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Hartford, Portsmouth, San Diego, Savannah, Tucson. What do these cities share with Portland? They all have a Congress Street, named not for the legislative branch of government, but for the meaning of ‘congress’—coming together. All Congress Streets have probably seen good and bad times as economic cycles come and go. They’ve experienced the advances, trends, and mistakes in urban planning, and felt the strains of population growth and shrinkage. The hope remains that a Congress Street will be a lively place to gather for work or pleasure.
Look at our downtown Congress Street. Start at Washington Avenue and head west to Bramhall Square. It’s got a lot going for it: history, architecture, cemetery, City Hall, businesses, services, residences, hotels, entertainment venues, museums, fire stations, places to eat/drink/shop/worship, libraries, schools, galleries, parks, gardens, WOW! And yet, our current Congress Street isn’t feeling well and needs to pull itself together.
Beads of Congress Street
Think of that stretch of Congress Street as a string of spaced beads. The first bead is Eastern Cemetery, then Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and City Hall, followed by Monument, Congress, Longfellow, and Bramhall Squares. There’s a badly frayed portion of the string crossing Franklin, then passing the surface parking lot where “Jesus Saved” before moving to Canco Road.
-Photos by T. Zeli
Thankfully Lincoln Park and Central Fire Station offer visual relief. The rest of the string and the beads have weak spots and chips. Empty buildings, some for years, with notices in the windows for neighborhood planning meetings long past. Too many of the occupied ground-level commercial entities are just not interesting, some are downright creepy. Either no windows, or no window displays, or the same window displays for years, or the windows are covered by paint or paper. Definitely not an invitation to take a stroll to see what’s new.
The City, Portland Downtown, and other organizations teamed to address what ails downtown Congress Street. A group of residents spearheaded the formation of Friends of Monument Square. To succeed, Congress Street needs to draw folks to a variety of interesting things that don’t require spending. It also needs a wide variety of interesting things to see and do and buy at a range of prices.
And while Congress Street recovers, we all need to start visiting more often to help her get and stay healthy.