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Abyssinian Meeting House Addition & Restoration
Scope of Work
Renovations and additions to the historic Abyssinian Meeting House (4,370-SF). The Abyssinian Restoration Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration of the third oldest African American meeting house in the country and promoting the cultural heritage of African-Americans in Maine. Built in 1828 as a house of worship, the Abyssinian Meeting House is the third oldest standing African American meeting house in the United States, and is of local, state and national historic significance. The Abyssinian became the center of social and political life for Portland’s African American community throughout the 19th century. The building served as a church and a segregated public school, as well as a hall for concerts, dinners and entertainment. Its members and preachers included former enslaved people, leaders of the Underground Railroad movement, and outspoken advocates for the abolition of slavery in the United States. The Meeting House was closed in 1917, converted to tenement apartments in 1924, and finally, abandoned and taken over by the City of Portland for back taxes.
Project details
- Location
- 75 Newbury St Portland
- Phase
- Construction
- Building type
- Community Facility
- Build Type
- Renovation
- Stories
- 2
- Estimated completion
- 2027
- Developer
- Committee to Restore the Abyssinian
- Architect
- CWS Architecture + Interior Design
- Civil engineer
- Trillium Engineering Group
- Landscape architect
- Cowles Studio
- Structural engineer
- Trillium Engineering Group
- MEP engineer
- Bennett Engineering
- General contractor
- Wright-Ryan Construction
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