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 Eastport
sits on Moose Island, bordering the coast of Maine and the Canadian
Maritimes. The city itself is blessed with outstanding Federal, Greek Revival,
and Victorian houses. Downtown Eastport burned to the ground on October
14, 1886. It was rebuilt in just one year, showcasing an indomitable
“can-do” attitude that remains to this day. Two Boston architects,
Gridley Bryant and Henry Black, designed reconstruction in the Italianate
style fashionable from the late 1880s to the early 1890s. The result is
unity of intent rarely found in historic districts, with brick corbelling and
arched windows expressing late nineteenth century preferences in
architectural ornamentation.
Eastport
is a city with a colorful past of sardine packing and shipbuilding, smugglers
and pirates reflected in its streets, harbors, and people. Today,
residents work together to build a comfortable life and bright future.
Everything for daily living is within walking distance, but you won’t find a
Starbucks. The residents of Eastport are redefining Yankee ingenuity.
There are no fast-food restaurants or big box stores. Instead, you’ll
discover a downtown listed on the National Register of Historic Places and
distinct historic neighborhoods that reflect the many boom-and-bust years of
Eastport’s past. The residents are proud of their status as an arts
community and their year-round working waterfront. They enjoy the
noise, smell, hustle and bustle of lobster boats, scallop draggers, and coast
guard boats working alongside historic schooners and sailboats.
 Eastport became a Main
Street Maine community in 2001, and is the smallest Maine Street Maine
community with just 1,640 residents. At that time most storefronts in
the downtown were empty and in need of repair. With grant money from
the CDBG for façade improvements and new sidewalks, and the efforts of
Eastport for Pride and its many volunteers, the downtown has been
transformed. In the summer of 2007, for the first time in many years,
every available storefront in the downtown commercial district was
occupied. One of our new businesses, Ocean Renewable Power Company, is
developing tidal and ocean current electricity generation. It currently
has projects in Florida, Alaska, and two off the coast of Maine, including a
Turbine Generation Unit that is being tested in Cobscook Bay on the north side of our island. In 2008 the last block of sidewalk work will be completed
and new street lights will be installed along Water Street and our scenic
breakwater walkway. While a number of our historic commercial buildings
are still threatened, much progress has been made and we continue to move
forward with our efforts to revitalize our downtown economy and preserve our
historic buildings.
Since being designated a Main Street Maine
community, downtown Eastport’s revitalization efforts have resulted in:
•19 net new businesses
•$6.2 million in new public and
private downtown investment
•Over 21,500 volunteer hours
•55 net new jobs
•For every $1 invested in the Eastport for
Pride program, an additional $15 have been invested in downtown
Eastport
For more
information on the Eastport for Pride, please go to their website.
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