Battle of the roof bars? Historic Portland hotel may expand its lofty lounge

Courtesy / Semple Brown Design A rendering shows part of a patio proposed for the southern side of the Westin's roof in Portland.

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By William Hall

One of Maine’s most historic hotels may build a 2,200-square-foot addition atop its roof, while what may be one of the state’s newest inns is refining plans for a rooftop structure of its own.

The 93-year-old Westin Portland Harborview Hotel is proposing to build two outdoor patios adjoining its Top of the East Lounge, 15 stories above Congress Square in downtown Portland. The proposal goes to a public hearing Wednesday before the Portland Historic Preservation Board in the city’s first look at the project.

At the same meeting, the board is scheduled to discuss modifications to a planned rooftop lounge at the 135-room Canopy by Hilton Hotel, now under construction at the corner of Center and Commercial streets. Hilton and the hotel’s developer, Portland-based Fathom Cos., are already promoting Luna, the indoor-outdoor bar with a seventh-floor terrace, as “a first for the city.”

With the Canopy due to open in the spring, Luna may indeed turn out to be Portland’s first outdoor space for high-rise refreshments. But first it needs an elevator.

Original plans, which went to the board in April 2019, included stairway access from Luna to the terrace. But after further review of accessibility codes, the city determined that an elevator was required. A previous design for adding one wasn’t successful, and now Fathom and its principal, Jim Brady, are seeking approval for a modified plan.

Courtesy / Fathom Cos.

A rendering of the Canopy Hotel, now under construction in Portland, shows the planned outdoor bar and rooftop terrace.

The new elevator structure would rise 17 feet above the terrace, and include a 10-foot-high vestibule. The terrace itself would be 65 feet above street level, allowing patrons a bird’s-eye view of the Portland waterfront to the south. The project has already received approval from the Portland Planning Board.

Meanwhile, less than a 15-minute walk from the Canopy, the Westin could soon offer another new outdoor view.

Plans, drawn by Denver-based Semple Brown Design, call for the Top of the East to expand in two phases. A 900-square-foot patio with capacity for 49 people would be built out from the south side of the existing lounge, and a subsequent 1,300-square-foot deck would extend on the northeast side of the roof, accommodating up to 59. Both spaces would have wood-burning fireplaces, seating, lighting and protective guardrails.

Westin Director of Sales and Marketing Holly Henderson told Mainebiz Tuesday that the project is slated for construction in 2021, but with plans just entering review, that timeline is still rough.

The goal, she said, is to update the look and feel of the lounge while maintaining its current identity and “keeping it relatable.”

“We’re looking to fully refresh the space,” she said.

The Top of the East is an original part of the hotel, but previously doubled in size during a massive $50 million reconstruction and rebranding of the hotel in 2013.

The luxury hotel has 289 rooms, and since its construction in 1927 has hosted such notable figures as Eleanor Roosevelt and Charles Lindbergh.

File Photo

The Westin Portland Harborview, at 157 High St. in downtown Portland, may add 2,200 square feet of outdoor lounge space atop the hotel roof.

The Westin's decision to now build outside is part of a growing trend, as the pandemic spurs hotels and hotel-goers to seek fresh air and plenty of social distance.

"There certainly seem to be more [rooftop bars] at hotels, especially in new builds," said Henderson.

A Virginia lifestyle magazine, RVA, reported in August: “Rooftop bars might once have seemed like a mere novelty, but in a time when adequate ventilation and sufficient room to socially distance are paramount, these outdoor venues are becoming downright essential,”

Over the summer, another downtown Portland hotel, the 232-room Holiday Inn by the Bay, opened a pop-up rooftop lounge on the fifth floor of its adjoining parking garage. "Level 5," as the outdoor bar was known, is now closed for the season. And in Portsmouth, N.H., a rooftop bar opened earlier this year atop the five-floor AC Hotel.

The Portland Historic Preservation Board must issue a certificate of appropriateness in order for the Westin project to proceed, while Fathom Cos. is seeking to amend its certificate issued last year. The board meets at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, and remote access information can be found here.