Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108o c t o b e r 2 0 1 6 3 9 Origins When? Five cultural Tipping Points that have made Portland a global destination. by jamie Holt 1 was in 1993, when the newly named Maine College of Art purchased the Beaux-Arts Porteous, Mitchell & Braun department store, est. 1904. The $10.8 million transfor- mation was paid for by “a $1 million bond, $3.8 million attracted from the state, and the remainder from private investors,” ac- cording to the Bangor Daily News. The turn away from retail was a daring move because many Portlanders had trou- ble shaking the image of Porteous, Mitchell & Braun defining Christmas at the same lo- cation for nearly 100 years. With a scholar population of nearly 500 and a student-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, with many world-renowned artists in residence, MECA is becoming more and more power- ful. Completely autonomous, with its brain trust focused immediately downtown, it’s become the heart of the city. According to Stuart Kestenbaum, Interim President, “MECA is perfectly situated…Portland is a place of true cultural distinction that cel- I f Portland is starting to soar cul- turally, what were the launching pads, the earliest signs? We can argue all day long about this, preferably over a local craft beer, because that’s the nature of ‘pub facts.’ But in the search for that exciting instant of change, we’ve identified five primary cul- tural shifts that are contributing to Port- land’s rise in popularity as a tourist desti- nation as well as a place to call home. Turn a dead downtown department store into a scintillating private arts school. The defining moment that brought MECA and all its students to 522 Congress Street From top, L-R: Corey Templeton; Bissell Brothers; ethan strimling; corey templeton