Congress Square Park is a small

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

in the

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Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. The park includes a stage for performances and areas for sitting. It is also home to a large, historic clock which had previously been located at

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

History

The park was built in 1982 with an urban development grant from the

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and u ...

. Starting in 2012, the city, led by Mayor Michael F. Brennan and City Manager Jon Jennings, sought to sell the park to a private equity firm Rockbridge Capital, which was renovating the adjacent

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

. Rockbridge sought to build a single story event center over most of the park. However, residents (led by the Friends of Congress Square Park) drafted an ordinance which sought to prevent the sale until a vote could occur. After collecting a sufficient number of signatures, the sale was postponed until after a June 2014 referendum. In that election, voters endorsed their initiative, which prevented the sale of the public and added protections to the further sale of public spaces. Since 2013, the Friends of Congress Square Park has organized events, raised funds on behalf of, and maintained the park. In 2018, the city received a $33,000 grant for a public art project in the park.

References

External links

Congress Square Park
portlandmaine.gov
Friends of Congress Square Park
{{Portland, Maine Parks in Portland, Maine Squares in Portland, Maine 1982 establishments in Maine Buildings and structures completed in 1982 Parks established in the 1980s Protected areas established in 1982 Urban public parks