Cumberland Avenue

Commercial Street is a downtown street in the Old Port of Portland, Maine, United States. It is part of U.S. Route 1A. It became the Old Port's waterfront in the early 20th century, replacing Fore Street, after land was reclaimed from the waters of Casco Bay and the Fore River.In 2008, it was named one of the ten best streets in the United States by the American Planning Association. Built upon old piers in the 1850s, fill was pushed into Casco Bay to accommodate the growing railroad and warehousing needs of the port's working waterfront. In the 1970s and 1980s, much of the economic activity on the street was hurt and many of the properties on the street were sold off for non-marine development, including the building of condominiums. In 1987, Portland voters, led by local fisherman based on Commercial Street, halted all non-marine development along the street and adjacent docks. Marine development around Commercial Street returned in the 1990s and 2000s (decade) alongside other economic development, including tourism-related industries.The Maine State Pier, a deepwater marine facility and outdoor music venue, is located at the intersection of Commercial Street and Franklin Street. The Portland Star Match Factory, located at 65-89 West Commercial Street near the West End. The street, which was originally known as Thames Street, becomes West Commercial Street from beneath the Casco Bay Bridge heading west. Thames Street still exists from India Street heading northeast, eventually merging into footpaths beneath the Eastern Promenade.

Merrill's Wharf is a historic wharf in Portland, Maine, on the edge of the Fore River. It stands across Commercial Street from Cross Street and, on the waterfront side, between Union Wharf (to the north) and the Portland Fish Pier (to the south). It was formerly known as Dana's Wharf. Today, the wharf is home to businesses (including Pierce Atwood), which occupy a former brick warehouse known as the Twitchell–Chaplin Grocery Company Building.

Gorham's Corner is road intersection in Portland, Maine, United States. It is formed by the meeting of Center Street (from the northwest and southeast), Fore Street (from the northeast), York Street (from the south) and Pleasant Street (from the west). The intersection creates five corners for pedestrians to navigate. In the 19th century, the corner was the focal point of an Irish community, formed after the large emigration to the United States caused by the Irish Potato Famine.

The Portland Packing Company Factory is an historic factory building at 14-26 York Street in Portland, Maine. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Built in 1884, it was home to Maine's oldest and largest vegetable canning company until 1927. After years of neglect, it was rehabilitated in 1995-6. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

John Ford Statue (1998), alternatively titled The John Ford Statue or simply John Ford is a bronze statue of American film director John Ford (1894-1973) sculpted by George Kelly. Located in the historically Irish neighborhood of Gorham's Corner in Portland, Maine, the statue was unveiled in 1998 and funded by Ford's friend, philanthropist Linda Noe Laine.

The Tracy-Causer Block is a historic commercial building located at 505-509 Fore Street in the Old Port commercial district of Portland, Maine. Built in 1866 as a mixed-used residential and commercial building, it is a rare surviving example of this type of building in the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

The Burning of Falmouth (October 18, 1775) was an attack by a fleet of Royal Navy vessels on the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts (site of the modern city of Portland, Maine, and not to be confused with the modern towns of Falmouth, Massachusetts or Falmouth, Maine). The fleet was commanded by Captain Henry Mowat. The attack began with a naval bombardment which included incendiary shot, followed by a landing party meant to complete the town's destruction. The attack was the only major event in what was supposed to be a campaign of retaliation against ports that supported Patriot activities in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. Among the colonies, news of the attack led to rejection of British authority and the establishment of independent governments. It also led the Second Continental Congress to contest British Naval dominance by forming a Continental Navy. Both Mowat and his superior, Vice-Admiral Samuel Graves, who had ordered Mowat's expedition, suffered professionally as a consequence of the event.

The great fire of Portland, Maine, sometimes known as the 1866 great fire of Portland, occurred on July 4, 1866—the second Independence Day after the end of the American Civil War. Five years before the Great Chicago Fire, this was the greatest fire yet seen in an American city. It started in a boat house on Commercial Street, likely caused by a firecracker or a cigar ash. The fire spread to a lumber yard and on to a sugar house, then spread across the city, eventually burning out on Munjoy Hill in the city's east end. Two people died in the fire and 10,000 people were made homeless. 1,800 buildings were burned to the ground. This included the federal Exchange Building by which was replaced with the custom house. Soon after the fire, Portland native and acclaimed poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow described his old home town: "Desolation, desolation, desolation. It reminded me of Pompeii, that ‘sepult city."

The Daniel How House is an historic house at 23 Danforth Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1799, it is one of the oldest surviving residences on Portland's Neck, notably surviving the city's great 1866 fire. It is an excellent and well-preserved local example of Federal period architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The How Houses are a trio of Federal period houses on adjacent lots facing Danforth and Pleasant Streets in Portland, Maine. Built between 1799 and 1818, they are a surviving reminder of how the surrounding area was once developed; they are now surrounded by more modern commercial properties. They were listed as a group on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980; the Daniel How House was separately listed in 1973.

The Portland Fish Pier is a fishing pier located in Portland, Maine, on the edge of the Fore River. It is a major hub for the commercial fishing industry, and is home to the Portland Fish Exchange, where over 20 million pounds (9.1 kt) of seafood a year are bought and sold. A fishermen's memorial is also located at the pier. Due to the heavy commercial fishing industry presence, there is no ferry service at the Portland Fish Pier. Instead, the Casco Bay Ferry arrives and departs from the nearby Maine State Pier. The pier stands across Commercial Street from Center Street and, on the waterfront side, between Merrill's Wharf (to the north) and Wright Wharf (to the south).The creation of the pier required the demolition of three wharves: Richardson's, Brown's and Smith's. (Brown's Wharf is preserved in the name of the southernmost of the two entrances to the pier, opposite Maple Street.

Union Wharf is a historic wharf in Portland, Maine. It stands across Commercial Street from Union Street and, on the waterfront side, between Widgery Wharf (to the north) and Merrill's Wharf (to the south), on the edge of the Fore River. Dating to 1793, it is the city's oldest continuously used wharf. In December 2021, five generations of family ownership ended when the wharf was sold to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.