Rendering / Courtesy Safdie Architects
Pedestrian pathways, wayfinding and landscaping are part of the project.
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May 7, 2025
A proposal for unified ‘Old Port Square’ would include build of Maine's tallest building
Rendering / Courtesy Safdie Architects
East Brown Cow and Safdie Architects are combining historic renovations and new construction into a unified brand called Old Port Square.
A project that combines significant construction with revitalization that’s already underway on existing structures is envisioned under a unified brand in Portland’s Old Port neighborhood.
Dubbed Old Port Square, the project is led by East Brown Cow and Safdie Architects.
The four-acre site is bounded by Middle, Union, Exchange and Fore streets.
East Brown Cow has acquired a number of buildings in the area over the years and has completed renovations and repositioning of some, while projects remain underway on others.
A major portion of the plan is a proposal to build two new structures, including a 30-story, 380-foot-tall residential and hospitality tower that will be higher than what is said to be Maine’s current tallest structure. (At present, Maine's tallest building is the relatively new 201 Federal St., which is 18 stories.)
The project is going through the city’s major site plan approval process and there’s no estimate of when the might be completed. The plan is still conceptual so there’s no estimated project cost.
At an announcement Tuesday, the principals said the project is envisioned as a comprehensive plan to create an “urban heart” that includes what is currently known as the Canal Plaza.
New identity
The square would include retail, restaurants, hotels, residences, offices, parking and outdoor community spaces throughout.
“This new identity, Old Port Square, simply puts a name to this district that is already vibrant, active and thriving,” said Tim Soley, East Brown Cow’s president.
Photo / Courtesy East Brown Cow
Tim Soley, left, and Moshe Safdie.
Established in 1989, East Brown Cow and its affiliates comprise a real estate management, investment and development firm in the Old Port. Its portfolio has grown to over 20 assets in Greater Portland area, including over a million square feet of office, retail, garage and hospitality assets.
Safdie Architects, a Boston design studio founded by architect Moshe Safdie, works globally.
Renovations
In previous years, East Brown Cow acquired One, Two and Three Canal Plaza and Fore Street Garage.
Since that acquisition, Safdie Architects has managed renovations on the garage, now called the Old Port Square Garage. It features rooftop solar panels offsetting 20% of energy consumption at the Hyatt, EV charging stations and a sculptural illuminated façade. The ground level along Fore Street has local food and beverage spaces with patio seating.
At One Canal Plaza, at 200 Middle St., Safdie Architects designed renovations, with the first and second levels featuring glass-display storefronts, a lobby with a “grand” staircase and existing Class A offices on levels 3-10.
East Brown Cow in 2021 acquired vintage buildings at 121 Middle St., 115 Middle St., 178 Middle St., 184 Middle St. and 4 Canal St. and has been redeveloping them for mixed-use including short- and long-stay residential.
Rendering / Courtesy Safdie Architects
Construction could start next year at 45 Union St. to build a 30-story residential and hospitality tower.
The building at 178 Middle St. is undergoing a multi-year preservation and rehabilitation project set to be completed this summer. New retail spaces have been created for Rough & Tumble and Bangor Savings Bank on the ground floor, and 16 one- and two-bedroom private lofts were built out on the upper stories, soon to be added to East Brown Cow’s boutique hospitality property, which it calls the Docent’s Collection.
The building at 184 Middle St. is also undergoing multi-year preservation and rehabilitation on the same timeline as 178 Middle. A renovated retail space was created for Warby Parker on the ground floor. The upper levels are being rebuilt into three one- and two-bedroom private townhouse-style lofts for the Docent’s Collection.
The Old Port Square plans includes installing pedestrian pathways, wayfinding and landscaping designed by Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture in Freeport
In 2022, East Brown Cow acquired four 19th-century buildings on lower Exchange Street, at 36 Exchange, 44 Exchange, 45 Exchange, and 57 Exchange, to preserve and enhance them.
New construction
Two new structures are on tap.
At 45 Union St., East Brown Cow commissioned Safdie Architects to design the 30-story, 380-foot-tall residential and hospitality tower. Construction could begin in 2026.
“Designing a tower in a city that's generally low-rise, at the heart of downtown, we asked ourselves: what are the elements that are going to make this really belong to Portland?” said Safdie. “The project's breakthrough was the day we latched onto the idea that this is a beacon. It's a lighthouse in the tradition of the lighthouses of Portland, those slender, beautiful structures that rise out of the land or out of the water, that become icons in the landscape for good purpose.”
Also with East Brown Cow, Safdie is designing a timber and glass retail pavilion at 55 Union St., which will be positioned as a gateway to Old Port Square and will have retail space on two levels.
The timeline going forward includes the next phase of renovations for 200 and 220 Middle Streets, the start of further renovations at various properties and the start of new construction
The principals noted that the city’s new land use code, known as ReCode, includes a goal to “reinforce the center” of the city through density and mixed-used activation and raised the maximum allowable heights of buildings in the downtown area.
“We look forward to continuing to bring Old Port Square to life over the coming years in a way that honors history and engages the community in thoughtful dialogue,” said Soley.
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