Press Herald Building

43.658895°N 70.256300°W / 43.658895; -70.256300

Press Herald Building
Press Herald Building, built 1923, expanded 1948, now the Press Hotel circa 2018.
Alternative namesGannett Building
General information
Location119 Exchange Street
Town or cityPortland, ME
Completed1923
OwnerJim Brady & Kevin Bunker

The Press Herald Building (also known as the Gannett Building)[1] is an historic building in Portland, Maine built in 1923 and expanded in 1948. It is strategically located across Congress Street from Portland City Hall. It was occupied by the Portland Press Herald newspaper until 2010. In 2015, the renovated building reopened as the Press Hotel.

Portland Press Herald headquarters

Built in 1923, the seven-story structure held the offices of the Portland Press Herald from 1923 until May 2010.[2][3] An addition was added to the north side of the building in 1948[4] after the former Davis Block at 390 Congress Street was demolished. In the 1940s, News of the Day bulletin boards outside the building's Federal Street entrance showed the day's headlines to street traffic.[5]

The newsroom was located on the second floor. Smoking was allowed in the newsroom and waste basket fires were common.[5]

The press was located in the basement. Later a press plant was built across the street at 385 Congress Street, connected to the Press Herald building by a tunnel running under Congress Street.[6] In 1988, the newspaper opened a $40 million print plant at 295 Gannet Drive in South Portland.[7]

In 2010, under Richard Connor's ownership, the newspaper sold the building and adjacent former printing plant and moved its news staff to the nearby One City Center office building.[8]

In 2016, the newspaper moved its newsroom from One City Center to its print plant in South Portland[8] but continues to keep an office at One City Center for use by news and advertising staff.[9]

Press Hotel

In 2012, the building was sold to developers Jim Brady and Kevin Bunker with the aim of turning the structure into a hotel.[10] In 2015, the renovated building reopened as a boutique 110-room hotel known as the Press Hotel.[11] The hotel was sold to a San Francisco-based real estate private equity firm in 2021.[12]

Guest rooms include custom wallpaper printed with headlines from the Portland Press Herald and each room has design elements take from a 1920s editor's office.[13] A wall stacked floor-to-ceiling with typewriters is part of the front lobby design, and an art gallery and a gym are located in the basement.[14]

As of 2015, rooms started at $299 per night.[15] Advertised room rates for summer 2022 ranged from $460 to $630 per night.[16]

Preservation award

In 2016, Greater Portland Landmarks awarded a Preservation Award to the Press Hotel for the adaptive reuse of the Press Herald Building.[17]

References
  1. "Gannett Building, 1948". Businesses & Buildings - Portland Press Herald Still Film Negatives. 1948-01-08.
  2. "Press Herald building construction, Portland, ca. 1923". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  3. "Portland Press Herald vacates longtime home". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  4. "Portland Press Herald Building to be transformed into boutique hotel - DesignCurial". www.designcurial.com. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  5. "Once upon a newspaper: Historic photos of the Portland Press Herald". Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  6. Writer, Edward D. MurphyStaff (2022-04-21). "Downtown block could become 300 condos, hotel, shops". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  7. Staff reports (2016-02-02). "MaineToday Media sells printing facility in South Portland". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  8. Portland Press Herald vacates longtime home, Associated Press (May 24, 2010).
  9. Harry, David (2016-02-03). "Portland Press Herald to move operations to South Portland". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  10. "Former Press Herald building eyed as boutique hotel". mainebiz.biz. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  11. Staff, Lodging (17 February 2014). "Boutique Hotel Taking Over Portland Press Herald Building". LODGING Magazine. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  12. Cordes, Renee (2021-12-27). "Portland's Press Hotel sold to San Francisco private equity firm". Mainbiz.
  13. Bair, Diane (2015-04-05). "Hotel opens in old Portland Press Herald building - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  14. "Where to Stay, Eat, and Play in Portland, Maine". Vogue. 2021-09-03. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  15. "A Newspaper-Themed Hotel Is Opening in Portland, Maine". Boston Magazine. 25 February 2015.
  16. Writer, Peter McGuireStaff (2021-12-27). "Portland's Press Hotel sold to West Coast private equity firm". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  17. "Greater Portland Landmarks - Portland Press Herald Building". Greater Portland Landmarks. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
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