Maine State Pier
Encyclopedia
The Maine State Pier is a municipal-owned deep water
marine facility and music venue located at the intersection of Commercial Street
and Franklin Street on the eastern waterfront in Portland, Maine
.
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. In 2009, the first annual Portland Lobster Fest was held at the State Pier.
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. In 2011, rapper Wiz Khalifa
and others appeared at the venue. The venue has a maximum capacity of 3,000.
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.
Deepwater
Deepwater or Deep Water may refer to ocean water in the abyssal zone, hadal zone, or other deep ocean zones. Other meanings include:- Locations :* In the United States:** Deepwater, Missouri, a small town located in west-central Missouri...
marine facility and music venue located at the intersection of Commercial Street
Commercial Street (Portland, Maine)
Commercial Street is a street downtown Portland, Maine. In 2008, it was named one of the 10 best streets in the United States by the American Planning Association. It was built upon old piers in the 1850s. Fill was pushed into Casco Bay to accommodate the growing railroad and warehousing needs of...
and Franklin Street on the eastern waterfront in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
.
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. In 2009, the first annual Portland Lobster Fest was held at the State Pier.
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. In 2011, rapper Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
and others appeared at the venue. The venue has a maximum capacity of 3,000.
During the 2011 Portland mayoral campaign
Portland, Maine mayoral election, 2011
The 2011 Portland, Maine mayoral election took place on November 8, 2011. In November 2010, Portland voters approved a citywide referendum changing the city charter to recreate an elected mayor position that had previously been removed in 1923. From 1923 until 2011, city councilors chose one of...
, several candidates, including former State Senator Ethan Strimling
Ethan Strimling
Ethan King Strimling is a former Democratic State Senator from Maine's 8th District. He served in the Maine State Senate from 2002 to 2009. He was replaced by Justin Alfond. In July 2011, Strimling announced his candidacy for Mayor of Portland, Maine...
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.