Finding New Purpose in a Historic Main Street

A Historic Building with New Potential

Built in 1910, the Stevens Building has long been part of downtown Portland’s Main Street fabric. Listed as a contributing structure within the Portland Commercial Historic District, its historic character made it an important piece of the community’s architectural identity.

A Building Between Past and Future

Originally home to a drugstore with apartments above, the building’s existing configuration no longer aligned with its potential new role. Transforming it into a community destination meant understanding whether a very different mix of uses could work within the constraints of the historic structure.

Testing What’s Possible

Synthesis worked with the Portland Redevelopment Commission to study the feasibility of adapting the building for public events, including farmers markets and banquets, with office space above. The study combined historic research, an initial code and change-of-occupancy assessment, preliminary floor plans, material studies, and conceptual renderings to explore how new uses could be introduced while respecting the building’s historic character.

A Roadmap for Reuse

Rather than prescribing a single solution, the study gave the Commission a clearer picture of what the Stevens Building could become and what would be required to get there. The resulting recommendations provide a foundation for informed decisions about the building’s future and its potential role in downtown Portland.