I wish to support Portland’s historic districts, the hard-working volunteers, and the city ordinances that protect the character of our city. It is in the city’s long-term best interests to play by the rules rather than make whimsical exceptions. It is in our best interests to keep the faςade of the Chamber of Commerce (former Children’s Museum of Maine) building.
The art museum director’s efforts to disparage the Chamber building by linking its era to Jim Crow racism is foul and should not be tolerated. Jim Crow was a product of the South and not evident in Maine. The museum director should be ashamed for being disingenuous.
I respect the architect and Maine resident, Henry Cobb, who designed the Payson building. Cobb wrote in his notes that the Portland Museum is a regional museum in a region that is itself a museum, so Cobb believed he had an obligation to connect the new building to the city and the region. We should share his commitment to preserve our city.
David Gaines
Portland
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