The Hollow Reed

The Samuel Butts House (also known as the Samuel Butts House and Store; formerly known as the Mariner's House) is a historic Colonial-style building in Portland, Maine, United States. Located in Boothby Square, on Fore Street, the building was completed in 1792, when Fore Street was at the shoreline. It is the second-oldest extant building on the Portland peninsula, after the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, which pre-dates it by around six years. It is believed a third storey was added well after the building was completed. Samuel Butts (1760–1838) was a tailor who moved to Portland from Boston in 1784.

The United States Custom House is a historic custom house at 312 Fore Street in downtown Portland, Maine. It was built from 1867–1872 to house offices of the United States Customs Service, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The State of Maine Armory (also known as Portland Armory and now as Portland Regency Hotel & Spa) is an historic building in Portland, Maine's Old Port District. The State of Maine Armory was designed by prominent local architect Frederick A. Tompson and built in 1895, on land donated to the city ninety years earlier by Joseph Holt Ingraham, for use by the Maine National Guard. Upon its opening, the then-mayor of Portland, James Phinney Baxter, said: "The possession of quarters in a prominent place, where the men would always be under the public eye, would be the means of improving the morale of the force." In 1941, the National Guard abandoned the building, but it was used to house troops during World War II as well as a recreation center. After the war, the structure was used as a warehouse until it was converted into the current hotel in 1987.The main-floor restaurant is named eighteen95, as a nod to the year the building was completed. Its basement-level lounge, meanwhile, is named The Armory. A whiskey bar, Ironside, was added on the lobby level during renovations in 2020 (Portland Armory supplied the USS Constitution, nicknamed Old Ironsides, with ammunition).The 2020 renovation followed one in 2012 that cost around $2.8 million.The hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

Long Wharf is a historic wharf in Portland, Maine, on the edge of the Fore River. It stands across Commercial Street, between Market Street and Moulton Street and, on the waterfront side, between Portland Pier (to the north) and Chandler's Wharf (to the south).Portland Lobster Company stands at the foot of the wharf, at Commercial Street, while DiMillo's On the Water is a floating restaurant located on a boat moored at the wharf. Sections of the former Berlin Wall stands on the southern side of the wharf, near today's Gorham Savings Bank.

Moulton Street is a historic downtown street in Portland, Maine, United States. Situated in the heart of the Old Port, it runs for around 233 feet (71 m), from Fore Street in the northwest to Commercial Street in the southeast. One-way from Fore Street, its surface is cobblestoned, with brick sidewalks. The street is named for William H. Moulton, president of the Cumberland Bank, which stood at the corner of Moulton and Commercial. At the corner of Fore and Moulton is a Portland Freedom Trail marker for the anti-slavery bookstore and printshop run by Daniel Colesworthy. The Mariner's Church, built in 1828 in the Greek Revival style, stands at the northern corner of Fore and Moulton. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. C. H. Robinson, a paper company owned by Charles Henry Robinson (1839–after 1926), formerly occupied the entire block, including 9 Moulton Street, which became the home of Mexicali Blues for 28 years. Old Port Tavern occupied part of the Mariner's Church building between 1973 and 2022. At the head of Moulton Street, 375 Fore Street was the home of Bull Feeney's, which closed in 2023 after 21 years in business. Long Wharf, the home of DiMillo's Floating Restaurant, stands across Commercial Street from Moulton Street. Wharf Street, meanwhile, runs southwest from Moulton Street to Union Street, crossing Dana Street en route. Moulton Street has been noted for its boutique stores.

The Maine Policy Institute (MPI), formerly the Maine Heritage Policy Center, is a conservative free-market think tank located in Portland, Maine. According to its mission statement, MPI is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that conducts detailed and timely research to educate the public, the media, and lawmakers about public policy solutions that advance economic freedom and individual liberty in Maine." The organization has an associated media outlet, The Maine Wire.

Mariner's Church (also known as the Old Port Tavern and Mariner's Church Banquet Center) is a historic church and commercial building at 368-374 Fore Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1828, the Greek Revival building historically served as both a church and marketplace. It was for many years the city's largest commercial building, and survived the city's great 1866 fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It is now home to the Old Port Tavern and other commercial businesses.

Middle Street is a downtown street in Portland, Maine, United States. Dating to 1724 (although part of it was a path established by ancient settlers), it runs for around 0.46 miles (0.74 km), from an intersection with Union Street, Spring Street and Temple Street in the southwest, to Hancock Street, at the foot of Munjoy Hill, in the northeast. It formerly originated at what was then known as Market Square (today's Monument Square), but 20th-century redevelopment saw the section between Monument Square and Free Street pedestrianized, and the remaining section—around The Maine Lobsterman monument on Temple Street—erased. Near its midsection, Middle Street crosses Franklin Street. In 1756, when Franklin Street was laid out between Middle Street and Back Street (today's Congress Street), it was known as Fiddle Street. In the early 1950s, the newly created Slum Clearance and Redevelopment Authority Vine-Deer-Chatham project demolished Portland's Little Italy, which was bounded by Franklin Street to the east, Fore Street to the south, Pearl Street to the west and Middle Street to the north. The head of Deer Street was opposite the Thompson Block at 117–125 Middle Street. Middle Street, which is named for its position between Congress Street and Fore Street, passes through Portland's Old Port district.

Fore Street is a downtown street in Portland, Maine, United States. It runs for around 1 mile (1.6 km), from the Eastern Promenade on Munjoy Hill in the northeast to Pleasant Street in the southwest. It was the original waterfront of Portland's Old Port, prior to the reclamation of land which resulted in today's Commercial Street in the early 20th century.Near its midsection, Fore Street crosses Franklin Street. It splits briefly at Boothby Square, shortly after passing the United States Custom House at 312 Fore Street.

Portland Pier is located at the intersection of Commercial Street and Silver Street on the eastern waterfront in Portland, Maine. It is located between Custom House Wharf (to the north) and Long Wharf (to the south), on the edge of the Fore River. Notable businesses on the pier include J's Oyster House and New Meadows Lobster.

Chandler's Wharf (also known as Fisherman's Wharf; formerly known as Central Wharf) is a historic wharf in Portland, Maine, on the edge of the Fore River. It stands across Commercial Street from Dana Street and, on the waterfront side, between Long Wharf (to the north) and Widgery Wharf (to the south).The wharf, which is named for John Chandler, is now home to condominiums and businesses.

The Thompson Block is a historic commercial building located at 117, 119, 121, 123 and 125 Middle Street in downtown Portland, Maine. It was designed by architect George M. Harding and constructed in 1867. Along with the neighboring Rackleff and Woodman Buildings (also Harding designs), it forms one of the best-preserved period commercial street views in the entire state. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 28, 1973.