A look back: A 1995 plan for Thompson's Point nailed some things, not others
Fishman Realty Group had a proven track record in real estate development and management in Portland. In 1995, he proposed Atlantic Portland a grand redevelopment of Thompson’s Point, what even at the time was thought to be a gateway to Portland. His plan, which was to have cost $125 million, would have included the Gulf of Maine Aquarium, a convention and commerce center and a “multimodal” transportation center. Mainebiz reported at the time that it was the brainchild of Joseph F. Kumiszcza Jr., marketing director Fishman Realty, and was endorsed by Alan Fishman, president of the company. “We see this as a way to bring these various uses together in a harmonious way,” Fishman, who died in 2011, said in the January/February 1996 issue of Mainebiz. Critics argued that developing Thompson’s Point would steal visitors and shoppers from downtown Portland. There were even some that maintained that if visitors went to the aquarium they wouldn’t go downtown to the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine.
Today, downtown is thriving and Thompson’s Point is very much living up to part of the vision put forth 25 years ago. The transportation center is there. Instead of an aquarium and conference center, Thompson’s Point has a host of other attractions — Bissell Bros. Brewery, Cellardoor Winery and other food and beverage options. There is office space, a skating rink and event space. The State Theatre has concerts there. And the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine plans to move into new quarters there.
Fun fact: You may have to be of a certain age to find humor in this headline in the January/February 1995 issue of Mainebiz: “Intel’s Pentium — Death of the 486?”
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