Tag: Construction

Historic Home Construction

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I’m excited to share that the home office of The Daily Portsmouth will be moving! We’re in the process of renovating a historic home in Atlantic Heights that has kept us busy – but we are enjoying seeing how houses used to be made in the old days.  Atlantic Heights was originally built to house shipbuilders in World War I that were building freighters to bring goods over to Europe.  The war was over before the neighborhood was finished – and it’s had a storied history since then, and is now a great active community and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stay tuned for periodic updates on our new home adventure – in the meantime, today’s image is from 2 weeks into the rehab project in one of the bedrooms.

Say Goodbye to The Memorial Bridge

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It’s old news at this point, but the Memorial Bridge will never have vehicular traffics on its deck ever again.  It’s time to turn the page on the saga of the past several years, and while it will be painful for everyone that is used to enjoying the convenience it afforded, I look forward to seeing the process of the old one come down – and a new one get constructed in its place.  In just the few minutes I was here taking this image – I saw a slew of people riding bikes and enjoying a walk on its deck, while also having a quiet on the steel decking that nobody is used to. I will be documenting the process of its demise over the next year or so – as well as the growth of the new bridge from NH to ME.

The Martingale Wharf

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It has been finished.  After many years of starts and stops, the building has finally arrived in all of its waterfront glory.  Tenants include a few office users, and Portsmouth’s newest seafood restaurant, Surf Portsmouth.  The building has an expansive deck with an incredible view of the water, and I’m sure all tenants on the upper floors will appreciate the knockout views on the water side.  It’s wonderful to have our city street back intact on Bow Street, with a very cool staircase leading down to the waterfront.  I’d encourage you to check it out, or peek through the windows to see the lush finishes in the entryways – or stop in to Surf for a drink.  While the view of the water from Bow Street has disappeared from the old parking lots that once stood in the place of the Martingale, it’s looking infinitely better from the water side and from Kittery, where this shot was taken.

A New Deck In Town

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After chronicling the progress of the The Martingale Wharf project  over the past couple years, it is finally in its final phase – and I must say, it looks like it’s going to be an awesome addition to the waterfront.  The modern details (wire balconies and some granite on the facade) on the brick structure help it stand out from an otherwise ordinary addition.  The new deck is absolutely massive, which is accessed from a nice granite/cement/brick stairwell that leads down to the waterfront and provides access to all the other decks.  I can’t wait to enjoy a few evenings outside while watching the sunset and doing some top notch people watching. This looks like it will be a great spot to do all of the above.

Welcome to State Street | The Ribbon Cutting

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The Who’s Who of Portsmouth as far as State Street Improvements are concerned can be seen below in the ceremonious Ribbon Cutting Ceremony held on Friday afternoon at 3pm at the intersection of Pleasant and State Streets.  Above, Mayor Tom Ferrini’s hands can be seen holding the grand improvement plans as signed by many of the folks involved…along with the ribbon.

Below, the City Manager (John Bohenko), Mayor Tom Ferrini, owner of Puttin’ on the Glitz Assiah Russel and Assistant Mayor Nancy Novelline-Clayburgh (one of the owners of Cava can be seen in the background) can all be seen enjoying the big moment.  I must say, it’s pretty cool and a relief to see this long in-the-works project come to its final phase.  There was an awesome turnout of people who shared the same sentiment, who came to celebrate. I’m very excited for the Portsmouth Art Exchange at 220 State Street, who has been very eager to see its sidewalks take shape – and where I have a good amount of work available for sale.  Stop in to see Jane and tell her I sent you – she’s a sweetheart.

Below, something a little different….the sun climbs over the hill at Fort Foster on the seacoast in Kittery, Maine.  I love this little tree and the bench that sit overlooking the waterfront. If my memory serves me correctly, the shot was taken with my Hasselblad Carl Zeiss 100mm lens…definitely a beauty.  Have a great weekend!

The Chef's Table | State Street Update

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State Street’s facelift continues.  While I was driving home and treating my car to the luxurious new pavement on State Street, I realized that the new street lights were actually lit!  Along with the new pavement and brick sidewalks (that are well on their way to being done), the city had turned on the street lamps on Thursday night.  After realizing the street had a whole new look (finally), I decided to stop and snap a couple photos to prove it.

It was after I stopped that I met Eddie Sargent, the Chef/Owner of The Chef’s Table.  Eddie was kind enough to get out of the way of what he thought was my shot (even though he wasn’t in it)…so I went over to say hello.  Turns out he had just installed the new sign, which looks great.  I loved the clean look of the new sidewalks and the granite stairs welcoming guests into the building, and the new sign was the icing on the cake.  Hopefully – in a few more weeks, we’ll get State Street back to enjoy for ourselves, free of delays, construction cones and dust clouds.  Below – see what a difference a day makes.  Both shots were taken around 1pm at lunchtime…

The Music Hall | State Street Construction

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The Scene @ Five featuring The Daily Portsmouth was a great success at The Music Hall.  Chris Curtis, Monte Bohanan and Mike Marchand and the rest of the team at The Music Hall made sure everything went as smooth as glass.  I had a great time meeting some great people and seeing friends during the 1 hour+ slideshow….and answered some great and interesting questions from photographers and non-photographers.  Thank you to everyone who took the time out of their evenings to come check out the slideshow and say hello.  The shot above was taken just before heading in – the solitary light on the closed box office underneath the instantly recognizable banner was a good gut check for me before getting things rolling.  The shot below was taken during lunch earlier in the day – I love the posters and appreciate the chance to appear on the schedule of the local treasure (interesting light during this time of day, with some neat reflections in the windows).

Below – as a Friday treat, here’s an update on the State Street Construction that you’ve been reading about in the papers.  The street has definitely been closed, with no signs of pavement at the State/Pleasant Street intersection.  The road looks like a bit of a warzone (and it feels like one on the car) amidst the intact building facades and brick walkways surrounding the street.  I can’t wait to get the gift of our new State Street, with no sign of construction and some nice smooth roadway surfaces and some brick sidewalks and street lamps.  I almost can’t believe that State Street actually looks like a street, but I can’t wait to prove it and snap a few shots once it’s all done.

Chronicles of the Martingale Wharf

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In today’s post we’ll feature two recent shots of the Martingale Wharf, the long awaited construction project currently underway on Bow Street on Portsmouth’s waterfront.  The building is finally getting its skin, with bricks being installed on the Bow Street facade…along with new windows and more inside that I can’t really see.  The good news is that we might actually have a streetscape on Bow St. like we used to in days gone by….a win for both locals and tourists.  I really dig the shot above – it feels very natural and realistic all at the same time.  Taken with the Zeiss Hasselblad 100mm….it seems to call out textures and lighting on objects that just seem to fall flat with other lenses (or maybe I’m just a bit crazy).  Below, the front of the building gets its new brick skin…

Poco's | Now & Then

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The season for The Decks is drawing to a close.  The Old Ferry Landing has closed for the year…I haven’t seen many folks down at the River House lately, I’ve seen a few folks at Poco’s in their new covered deck and a few die hards at Harpoon Willy’s still venture out (and rumor has it they’re hoping to stay open through Halloween).

I wanted to take a minute to reflect at the past spring/summer/fall season that saw a lot of changes to the Decks.  The new pavers were put in throughout the alleyway, and looked pristine for a while (now you wouldn’t guess they’re only a year old with all of the grease and traffic they’ve seen), The River House constructed a second story deck and saw another successful year…and probably the most noteworthy change was the shift of Poco’s deck from on the water to against the building.  I’ll always miss the old configuration, but there’s something to be said for eating/drinking in a warmer spot against the building.  It’s opened the area up significantly….check out the shots below, which was taken last September just before the old structure came down. Quite an evolution for this little part of town.

Martingale Wharf | Reflections of a Changing Waterfront

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This shot was taken setting out on the sunset harbor cruise on the Heritage.  I snapped this single exposure with the incredibly sharp and vibrant Carl Zeiss lens that I’ve rented on a couple of occasions – and I just loved the rich blues of the water and the sky.  I’ve always thought that the Martingale Wharf building was pretty massive when seen from Bow Street…as it takes up so much of the street front – but it wasn’t until we were heading back in from the cruise that I realized just how massive the structure is.

Seen here the water side of the building is partially covered in tarps – as construction has progressed through the summer.  If you are walking up Bow Street, you might notice the fire sealing/insulation on the interior of the structure – so I imagine it’s only a matter of time until the skeleton of the building gets its skin.  I can’t wait to see what the structure looks like when its brick facade is installed….and it will be a welcome change to this seemingly stagnating waterfront visage.