PORTLAND, Maine — As a child, James Cunningham survived the great Irish famine. Cunningham arrived in Portland at the age of 24, just before much of it burned to the ground in the great fire of 1866.
A builder by trade, he made his fortune helping reconstruct the ravaged city, brick by brick. Many of the building’s Cunningham and his company helped put up can still be seen in Portland, today. He built the city’s long-gone, sorely-missed and iconic Union Station, too.
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When he retired, in his 60s, Cunningham turned his company over to his brother and nephew. Then, he set about building himself one of the grandest hotels in all of New England. It still stands today.
Take a walk into history as the BDN teams up with Greater Portland Landmarks in telling the rest of Cunningham’s fascinating story. It’s one of many included in the nonprofit’s series of online, virtual walking tours throughout the city.
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Founded in response to the urban renewal craze of the 1960s, the nonprofit works to protect historic places through preservation and adaptive reuse. It also promotes creative, new architecture for historic neighborhoods.
