Deciding how to build a future

By: Emily Wiggin
Date: Sunday, Apr 18, 2004
Publication: Portsmouth Herald

The expression on Portsmouth's face is pensive - poised for change. New development is progressing at a rapid rate; the eyes of the city dart cautiously toward an unknown future, then return over and over to gaze on a comfortable past.

This growth spurt, although a positive economic indicator, contains a problem for many of the older cities of New England, whose downtown architecture recalls tales of towering figures of history, from Paul Revere to Samuel Adams. Although almost all agree that preservation is integral to maintaining the fabric of a city's history, architects, advocacy groups and historic district commissions struggle to find ways in which contemporary threads can be woven into the pattern.

Is timid but bland better than bold but bad? Does the new juxtaposed with the old give mutual complement? Opinions on the matter are as strong as they are disparate. Although our European counterparts routinely welcome starkly beautiful (and sometimes breathtakingly awful) new designs into clusters of elderly structures, we in the United States are more hesitant; fiercely protective of our newly minted history.

Only time can determine whether new and future development projects in Portsmouth will be seen as opportunities to present a high-quality modern offering reflective of the city's progressivism or if new buildings proposed will follow the current course of approved structures - which, while unassumingly mimicking the styles of older neighbors, don't possess the ability to either offend or excite.

The advocates

Don't ask Peter Michaud of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) about modern architecture and not expect a heated response. "Modern architecture needs to really re-define itself before having a place in downtown Portsmouth," says Michaud.

In his opinion, modern architecture is a disappointment. 'Newness' itself is not what he finds displeasing - for Michaud it's a case of aesthetics. He is quick to quote modern architects such as Peter Eisenman, who, according to Michaud, wouldn't ever deign to live in one of his creations. The word "monstrosity" comes up several times when Michaud describes several efforts to incorporate modern structures into historic surroundings.

While Michaud is not alone in his opinion, there are others, equally passionate about preservation, who see a place in Portsmouth for quality modern buildings.

John Grossman, president of Portsmouth Advocates, a nonprofit founded to promote the preservation of the historic and architectural character of Portsmouth, is more pragmatic. Grossman says that neither his group nor the Historic District Commission, which must approve any proposals for new downtown buildings within the historic district, is strictly opposed to new ideas.

"Everyone is poised to see something new and fight for it," he says. According to Grossman, the issue is design quality, and the commission has not been presented with a creative proposal for something new of superior quality.

"I think in trying to introduce new materials, it has to be completely new but still fit," he says. There's the rub. Those concerned have widely differing definitions about what it means to "fit" or "blend." Take Market Square - itself a mishmash of architectural styles, spanning from the early 1600's to the modern era with a little colonial, Victorian, federalist and even some art deco thrown in for good measure. If that's the basis for blending, it would seem that a building of modern design would indeed "blend."

All of this adds up to what Peter Michaud calls Portsmouth's "context of community." At one time or another, each of the old buildings was new. The question now is how to maintain this distinct flavor while allowing for creative growth.

The architects

Jim Warner, a principal at JSA (a Portsmouth architectural firm), attributes the "teeth" of the HDC and advocacy groups to what he calls "years of irresponsible development." Warner says he feels that architectural eyesores such as Parade Mall (the office suites on the corner of Maplewood Avenue and Deer Street) are too fresh in residents' minds to allow for anything drastically new in the immediate downtown, Northern Tier or otherwise.

Another JSA architect, Mark Moeller, is similarly tentative. While he lauds the JSA-designed Community Campus building (a project of the Foundation for Seacoast Health located off Route 1 on West Road in Portsmouth) as a new and interesting structure both in design and usage, he acknowledges that a building of its type probably wouldn't have gained HDC approval for the downtown area.

While Lisa DeStefano of DeStefano Architects enjoys a close and friendly working relationship with the HDC, she says that the commission's policy of approving only designs that give a nod to historic structures can at times be restrictive. "If you stood in the heart of the square and looked around, you would see that there are many different styles or architecture with the square. How do you take cues? It's hard to say what is the general style."

In her opinion, an ideal opportunity for change is the area that has become known as the Northern Tier (from the Parade Mall to Interstate 95). "There is so much land - it could speak to something new without being completely glass and metal. There are different ways to treat materials and rhythms that might make it read as if it was built after the year 2000."

"That area should be our opportunity to grow, to slightly change the dialogue about what the architecture could be in this area of Portsmouth," says DeStefano.

Surely conscious of the necessity of diplomacy to effect change, DeStefano is positive about where the city is going. She cites the encouraging experience of working with the commission to gain approval both for her almost-complete Porter Street Townhouses and Haymarket Condominiums (located on the corner of State and Middle Streets). In part, the comfortable relationship with and trust she has earned from the HDC has allowed her this recent leeway.

However, although moderate in style, even these projects have come under fire from citizens. Some have complained that the Haymarket structure encompasses the entire corner, which DeStefano feels is ironic, given the history of the lot (before Haymarket predecessor Dow's Automotive was there, the space was home to a Baptist church that also filled the corner).

"Cities work best when streets, perimeter and buildings come right up to meet. Too many missing teeth (parking lots, open spaces) does not promote people walking down the streets," DeStefano says.

If DeStefano is all for taking baby steps, architect Kenneth Weston, of Portsmouth and Biddeford, Maine firm Oak Point Associates, wants people to run. Or do cartwheels. Or stand on their heads.

He thinks new architecture in Portsmouth should reflect current issues.

"What are our issues today? Environment, usage, how we build. Almost all of the buildings downtown are low-bearing brick buildings. We don?t build those anymore. They're too expensive and don't meet seismic codes. We build with steel frames and add a brick veneer. New buildings should be articulated in a way that expresses some truth to the way it was constructed."

"If you open up Architectural Review magazine, nine out of 10 buildings are unabashedly modern in a historical setting. You complement the other by contrasting. It's a strategy that architects use all the time to solve that problem."

Weston, like some others, worries that Portsmouth isn't moving forward. "The North Church is an object building (a focal point or steeple-typed building). Are we never going to build another object building?"

Weston is scornful of popular practices to make new buildings look old in hopes of making them blend into their surroundings. "When you steal the cornices, keystones and lintels from other buildings and replicate them, you're diminishing the importance of the original," he says.

When asked his opinion on the somewhat controversial Porter Street Townhouses, he says "I found it so odd that people were objecting to the roof lines. You would be hard-pressed to find two identical roof lines in Market Square, so how can you say that those (the Porter Street roof lines) aren't contextual? And I do like them, by the way," he laughs.

Weston and DeStefano are of like mind on the possibilities for the Northern Tier. "It's a chance to be architecturally interesting in a new neighborhood," he says, then sighs and adds, "I hope there is some loosening of the style reins."

The possibilities

As made clear by Portsmouth Advocate John Grossman, a great deal of the responsibility of the city's structural future rests with the architects and the developers who hire them. The HDC may not have approved any radically modern buildings, but the commission has not yet been presented with viable and creative proposals that make a radical departure from the red brick norm.

While the commission is an easy target for critics, its role is critical to Portsmouth's growth. For the future is not just about preservation, it's about creation. Perhaps a few radically new buildings can be a nod to Portsmouth's past - its Revolutionary past.