After first announcing that the historic preservation code required an Old Port Puerto Rican restaurant to remove its antique doors, city leaders are — perhaps — having a change of heart.
The doors, which the owners of Papi’s say give the public the feeling that they are about to walk into an eatery in Old San Juan, had been recently installed, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Portland’s historic preservation program manager, Evan Schueckler, said that the ornate doors do not conform to the area’s historic character, and gave the restaurant until Labor Day to remove them. The owners said that they would comply with the city code, although they believed that the antique mahogany doors, with iron accents, fit in nicely into the streetscape.
However, now it appears that the city may be warming up to the doors, according to the Press Herald.
The City Council learned Monday afternoon that staff are reevaluating the decision. The doors can remain where they are, at 18 Exchange St., until a final decision is taken, according to spokesperson Jessica Grondin.
Papi’s lies within one of 12 historic districts in Portland, the Waterfront Historic District, commonly known as the Old Port.