Courtesy / Waypoint Brokers
A sample unit in the 218 Washington building in Portland.
Updated: October 26, 2023
After slow start, condo building on end of Portland's East End reaches finish line
Photo / Peter Van Allen
A 45-unit condo building, 218 Washington, as seen from North Street on Portland's East End.
After three years marked by the pandemic, labor shortages, increases in construction costs and escalating interest rates, the 218 Washington Ave. condominium building in Portland is completed.
To date, about half of the 45 condos, on the very edge of Portland's East End and overhanging the East Bayside neighborhood, have been sold.
The team behind the project has strong southern Maine ties. The builder was PM Construction, based in Saco. The principal owner and developer is Portland-based Chris Tyll, a U.S. Navy veteran who has been involved in a range of businesses.
Design was by Portland-based Archetype. Sebago Technics of South Portland managed civil engineering, while M2 Structural Engineering, of Windham, handled structural engineering. Staging for show units was handled by TNS Staging. Waypoint Brokers Collective is the listing broker.
On a recent afternoon, Mainebiz had a chance to tour 218 Washington, which is both the address and the name of the property. It is aimed at young professionals and empty-nesters looking to come back to the city.
Complicated site
From the start, the site posed challenges "flatlander" projects don't typically face. The site drops off sharply from Washington Avenue to Anderson Avenue. The higher side of the building is literally a different neighborhood, going from Munjoy Hill downhill to East Bayside.
There's a 280-foot long modular-block wall engineered by Coleman Concrete. At its tallest point, the wall extends 30 feet from the subgrade below, averaging around 26-feet tall.
So, from the beginning, the project had a longer timeline to accommodate the landscape.
The tour
Led by Amanda Vigue, founding partner at Waypoint, we toured four units, from a one-bedroom ground-floor unit to a three-bedroom penthouse.
A look at what's currently on the market seem to range from $545,000 for a one-bedroom, one-bath unit of 633 square feet, to $1.3 million for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom space that's 1,440 square feet, according to listings on Zillow. Two units of $445,000 to $459,000 are shown as "pending" sale.
The first unit we went through was on the ground floor and faced toward Washington Avenue. The windows are big, but it's surprisingly quiet, thanks to the triple-glazed windows. Energy efficiency is at a premium, with LED lighting and individually zoned heat-pump system and fresh-air ventilation.
The other units we toured largely looked out toward East Bayside and the Back Cove. The balconies offer a bird's eye view of the nightlife scene on Anderson Avenue, including Lone Pine Brewing, Urban Farm Fermentory and Blue Lobster Urban Winery.
Peter Van Allen
From a top floor unit of 218 Washington, the view includes the Portland skyline, Back Cove and the East Bayside neighborhood.
The windows are big and the views of the Portland skyline are expansive.
Most of the units have kitchens for entertaining. Kitchens are outfitted with granite countertops and Whirlpool appliances.
A garage under the structure has 47 parking spaces and more than a dozen EV chargers.
There's a rooftop deck and developer Tyll said on a clear day you can see Mount Washington.
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