ROCKLAND — On Monday, November 10, the Rockland City Council designated Rockland’s first Local Historic District by passing an amendment to the Rockland Historic Preservation Ordinance, Chapter 20. The new Main Street Local Historic District includes all the buildings and two city parks on both sides of Main Street from Park Street to Summer Street— from Main Sports Outfitters at 279 Main Street to the former First Baptist Church at 500 Main Street. Property owners in the district who wish to change the exterior of their buildings will not be required to follow recommendations from the Historic Preservation Commission, only to hear those recommendations at a commission meeting. 

The Main Street Local Historic District is significant as Rockland’s oldest commercial district, where early traders built their trading houses. Originally this part of Main Street was accessible to the sea for shipping from Lermond’s Cove, while also protected from storms by the L shaped peninsula called Crockett’s Point. Over the years, fires created opportunities for wooden Greek Revival buildings to be replaced by brick Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Classical, Neoclassical, and Modern commercial buildings. 

The Historic District designation requires that when property owners in the district want to change the exterior of their buildings, they must attend a meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission to discuss those changes. The commission will point out historic architectural details and recommend ways to preserve them. Property owners will not be required to follow the recommendations, only to sign a document indicating they have heard the recommendations. 

Councilor Adam Lachman, who sponsored the amendment, said “Designating the Main Street Local Historic District is about honoring Rockland’s story while planning for its future. This collaborative approach acknowledges Rockland’s growth, resilience, and creativity, and celebrates our unique architectural heritage without creating hardships for property owners”. 

The Rockland Historic Preservation Ordinance is unique. Of the 453 towns and cities of Maine, only eleven have historic preservation ordinances, making them Local Historic Governments. Those ordinances inform property owners in historic districts what is required when changing the exterior of their historic buildings. The Rockland ordinance only makes recommendations, not requirements. 

Ann Morris, Chair of the Rockland Historic Preservation Commission commented “In these times of historic buildings coming down and AI replacing artistic, cultural creativity, we must preserve, protect, and celebrate our cultural heritage – the ideas and hard work of past generations that inspire future generations”.