The Norther Tier of Portsmouth is an interesting and changing place.  The neighborhood known as The Hill sits atop this part of town in the block between Deer Street and Hanover Street, and is filled with older historic homes from the area that were saved from the urban renewal efforts that saw hundreds of homes torn down to make way for the former Parade Mall (soon to be Portwalk Place).  It’s an interesting spot and ensures that this part of town will always have some historic character amidst the larger brick buildings that now include the Residence Inn and the Sheraton and will soon include more residences as part of the progress of the Portwalk Place project. The brick driveways and pastels of the clapboards are a nice part of the rich historic fabric of our charming town. (don’t miss the crescent moon hovering over the chimney at center frame)

The Hill is a historic and colorful neighborhood located atop Deer and Hanover Streets in downtown Portsmouth.  It’s filled with beautifully colored homes from around the city, in the city’s Norther Tier.  This area is set for some interesting changes over the next five years, with the progression of the Portwalk Place project and the potential future of the Westin Conference Center.  I like this shot with the sense of space it conveys and the clarity of the clapboards.

As I wrote the other day in a recent post – a neighborhood known as The Hill is located at the crest of the hill between Deer Street and Hanover Street.  I’ve always loved the rich colors of the bricks and the historic homes…which always go quite nicely with a bright blue sky.  The Hill represents some of the only original residential architecture left in this section of town, and many of the homes were actually transported to this spot as part of the urban renewal efforts in the 60s/70s from other locations throughout the North End as part of the Vaughan Street Urban Renewal Project (photos of the documented urban renewal process can be viewed at The Athenaeum Library).

Atop Portsmouth’s historic North End neighborhood sits several old colonial homes that remind me of what it must have been like to walk around town 100-200 years ago.  Along with those historic homes that are now part of the historic condominium made on site to protect the buildings sit several redeveloped parcels including the Hilton Garden Inn (which is across the street from the notorious bomb scare on Hanover Street), with the Portwalk Place project just down the hill on the same block.

All in all it’s a beautiful area, becoming more so as the redevelopment of the Parade Mall real estate continues to enhance the curb appeal of this growing part of town.  I like this particular shot because it captures the new bricks of the Hilton along with the Piscataqua River Bridge and the Sarah Long Bridge together with the colorful historic homes located in the Northern Tier.

Here’s another glimpse of the historic homes in Portsmouth’s North End known simply as “The Hill”.  Another take on the old structures can be found here:  Norther Tier; or here:  FLICKR.

Click on the image for a full size view.

The Hill in Portsmouth’s Northern Tier (now sandwiched between the Hilton Garden Inn on Hanover Street and the Sheraton Harborside on Deer Street), consists of old historic homes formerly located in Portsmouth’s North End, which was formerly the city’s predominantly Italian neighborhood.  The homes were saved and relocated to their existing locations, now known simply as The Hill.  The buildings give the area some unique character… but the Northern Tier will continue to be a changing place as well, as the Parade Mall is slated for redevelopment and as the proposed Westin conference center is built across the street from the Sheraton.  Will be cool to watch the process.

Full size here:  FLICKR