An investment made almost a century ago is still paying off for Portland, in ways that the people who made it could not have imagined. In 1924, the city’s leaders decided to photograph every building in town to show that a tax revaluation was done on the up and up.

We don’t know if it worked, but we have seen the rich black and white images that capture the character of a prosperous port city at the beginning of the last century. The photographs are a vital record for historians and preservationists, as well as homeowners looking to restore some faded glory to an aging dwelling.

Additional Photos

The historic block of buildings along Fore Street at Boothby Square, with 340 Fore St. at the far right, in the 1924 archival image.

It has also inspired two efforts, highlighted in the newspaper this week, that will bring the value of those pictures into another century.

The first originated three years ago in the city’s Historical Preservation Office. Using volunteer labor and grant funding, the city has undertaken the mammoth task of digitizing the whole collection of 1924 photos and making them available online.

The other is the solo effort of Ted Oldham, who is in the process of photographing every single building in the city, giving an Obama-era “after” shot to go with the Coolidge-age “before.”

Together these records will help document where we are and where we’ve been. They will also add value to one of Portland’s greatest assets: its well-preserved historical architecture.

Appreciation of Portland’s building does more than bring visitors to town. It has spurred a private-sector investment in our neighborhoods that no government program could match. If Portland did not have a culture of pride in its past, historic neighborhoods would have been leveled, as they were in many other cities during the rise of suburbia.

We have tangible evidence that this appreciation is worthwhile. There would be no Old Port district if foresighted people had not first protected old buildings from the wrecking ball and then invested in their restoration.

They were helped with tax credits and public amenities like brick sidewalks, but the government cannot do it alone. It takes a much broader commitment.

Portland’s history is a major economic asset for the city, and its importance will continue to grow as long as there are people who appreciate the value. That’s why the database of photos, from the present and the past, are a priceless gift for the city.

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