110 Free St. in Portland has been purchased by the Portland Museum of Art. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
The Portland Museum of Art is set to take another step to address growing pains associated with its ambitious expansion plans.
The museum announced on Friday the purchase of properties at 110, 120, 128 and 130 Free St. that are currently home to a MaineHealth administrative building and private parking lots.
The sale means that the PMA now owns nearly all of a city block between Spring and Free streets.
PMA is still assessing specific uses for the new properties, but intends for the 110 Free St. property to eventually host administrative offices, giving the museum some needed legroom for galleries, exhibits, and visitor services within its current footprint.
PMA officials declined to respond to questions by phone, instead providing responses to several questions by email.
“This is a critical return-to-form for the museum,” Marcie Parker Griswold, PMA’s head of communications and audience engagement, wrote in an email. “Many of our current offices were originally meant for gallery space, but have more recently been used for administrative purposes as the museum has grown.”
But “what’s arguably most exciting,” Parker Griswold said, is the creation of 140 public parking spaces.
“We’ll be able to open up the adjacent parking lot to the public, which is a huge benefit to both museumgoers and the entire downtown and Arts District area,” she said.
PMA and MaineHealth aren’t disclosing the sale price until it becomes official in March, but said it will be funded by the museum’s board.
The acquisition is part of PMA’s $100 million Blueprint project, a long-term plan to unify its campus, towards which they have raised $65 million. Part of that project also includes the ongoing construction of a new wing at the former Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine at 142 Free St.
The museum demolished that building in September after a lengthy battle in city meetings and courtrooms. The PMA has not yet submitted any construction plans for the new wing for approval, and it’s not clear whether this purchase will impact the design at all.
“Expanding the PMA campus is a truly transformative opportunity, bringing together the Arts District, Free Street, and the Old Port in a way that feels seamless and inviting,” Mark Bessire, the museum’s executive director, said in a press release. “These properties are the foundation for a future where art and community thrive together.”
Meanwhile, MaineHealth will continue to use its administrative building for at least two years.
“We have seen a real shift in how people work in the post-pandemic era, and we need to organize our administrative teams around that new reality,” Andy Mueller, chief executive of Maine Health, said in a press release. “This is part of a broader responsibility we have to use our resources wisely so that we can deliver high-quality care to our communities in the most cost-effective way possible, which is critical to achieving our MaineHealth vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.”
While MaineHealth is still occupying the building, PMA will begin planning renovations and a “phased activation” of the property, Parker Griswold said.