The Porteous Building

522 Congress Street
Acquired 1993
1904 Beaux-Arts design
Formerly the Porteous, Mitchell, and Braun department store
Size: 148,000 sq. ft.

In 1996, the Porteous Building was selected as one of only 24 projects in the country to participate in the inaugural Energy Star Showcase Building program by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to preserving an historic building, MECA took an environmentally progressive approach to the Porteous Building renovation. Over 200 truckloads of debris removed from the building were recycled. Energy-efficient heating and lighting were installed to save energy and reduce pollution. Skylights were added to bring more natural light into the building.

One of the most important features of the Porteous Building is its state-of-the-art ventilation system. Custom-designed for each studio department, the ventilation system creates a healthy and safe environment for art-making for both students and faculty.

Croxton Collaborative architects of New York City served as environmental consultants to Porteous renovation architects Van Dam & Renner of Portland. Croxton designed the headquarters of the Audubon Society in Manhattan, which received national attention as a model of "green design."

For more information on the Energy Star Building program, contact the E.P.A. at www.epa.gov/buildings.

51 Oak Street

Following a $2 million renovation and refitting, the historic Everett Hotel, located one-half block from the Porteous Building, opened in August 2005 as Maine College of Art's newest residence hall - 51 Oak Street. The fully accessible, five-level facility, designed to house 80 students in a combination of double and single units, is wired for Internet access and include a laundry, quiet study room, and residents' lounge. 51 Oak Street serves the College's first-year students and is managed by the Office of Residence Life, Student Affairs Department.

15 Shepley Street

Located one block from the Porteous Building the Shepley Street apartment building offer suite-style accomodations. The 20 units house 60 students. Each suite offers a kitchen, living room, bathroom and one or two shared bedrooms.

Pace House

In 2007, American Artist Stephen Pace bequeathed his summer home in Stonington for use by Maine College of Art as a residency and gallery, to ensure its continued use as an artistic haven.

Stephen was born in 1918 in Missouri and studied at the Art Students League in New York and the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris.  He settled in New York and became an acclaimed artist known for his Abstract Expressionist work.  In later years he devoted himself to more representational paintings and drawings. Stephen and his wife, Palmina, bought the Stonington house, a turn-of-the-century sea captain’s residence set on a ledge overlooking the Penobscot Bay, in 1943.  They summered there for sixty-four years, until their relocation to Indiana.

Stonington is a charming fishing village that retains the old-fashioned flavor of New England life. Lobstering is the mainstay of the economy.  The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts is located nearby and many artists and artisans have galleries, studios and workshops dotted throughout the island, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge.