The Portland Exposition Building, also known as The Expo, is a sports and

convention center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

building complex in Portland,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. Much expanded since the original building was constructed in 1914, the complex now includes five inter-connected buildings with 24,000 square feet of exhibition space and ten meeting rooms. It is adjacent to the Hadlock Field and the Portland Ice Arena.

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

Ani Difranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influenc ...

Natalie Merchant Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums before ...

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

, and Rusted Root have played at the venue. It has also hosted trade shows and celebrations. It has been used for the Maine Red Claws basketball team, Portland High School Bulldogs basketball games, and indoor track events. In 2007, the Expo became the home of Maine Roller Derby. Locker rooms for Fitzpatrick Stadium and the visiting clubhouse for Hadlock Field.

History

The Portland Exposition Building was designed by Frederick A. Tompson and was built in 1914 at a cost of $80,944. It is the second-oldest arena in continuous operation in the United States (behind

Matthews Arena Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) is a historic multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts currently owned by Northeastern University. It is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in us ...

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). The building was considered a sophisticated facility sure to "put Portland on the map". Its grand opening—a major agricultural show on June 7, 1915, for which the local daily newspaper dedicated the entire front page to covering the event. In addition to the first-floor arena, the basement level featured the Cafe Dumont. "The Cafe D" was a full-service nightspot which offered "Top international entertainment in a classy nightclub atmosphere." In September 2007, Maine Roller Derby began hosting flat-track roller derby bouts, with opponents traveling from Montreal, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The season runs from late April through November, with most bouts occurring April–June. In 2008, a group of local businesspeople signed a deal to bring an

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

team to the Expo, as well as to renovate the arena's facilities. It was confirmed, and the Expo Building is home to the Maine Red Claws, beginning play for the 2009–10 season.

Notable events and visitors

Over the years, many notable figures have appeared at the Expo, including

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952 to 1956, and re ...

, presidents

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and

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, and

Paavo Nurmi Paavo Johannes Nurmi (; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finland, Finnish middle-distance running, middle-distance and long-distance running, long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" because he dominated distance running in th ...

. It has hosted significant performances, including the first East Coast concert of the

Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...

(1963),

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

(1974), the 60th Anniversary Ball of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, world championship kickboxing, and gala banquets for the Senior's Pro Golf Tournaments featuring

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Since embarking on a professional career in ...

and

Gary Player Gary James Player (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine ...

References

External links

Portland Exposition Building
{{Authority control Basketball venues in Maine Maine Celtics Music venues in Portland, Maine NBA G League venues Sports venues in Portland, Maine Sports venues completed in 1914 1914 establishments in Maine 20th century in Portland, Maine

History

Notable events and visitors

See also

References

External links