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Portland Historic Preservation Board approves UNE addition at All Souls Church with conditions
Summary
The Portland Historic Preservation Board approved an addition and accessibility upgrades to the All Souls Universalist Church (LendKey Auditorium) at 710 Stevens Avenue on the University of New England Portland campus, authorizing staff to finalize masonry samples and to replace a proposed precast cap with a zinc cap.
The Portland Historic Preservation Board voted to approve an application for an addition and exterior work at 710 Stevens Avenue — the historic All Souls Universalist Church (known on campus as LendKey Auditorium) on the University of New England's Portland campus. The board's action included conditions for staff review of masonry and a modification of a proposed precast brick cap to a zinc cap.
The approval clears a design that attaches a new, mass-timber-and-glass addition to the rear of the landmark building within the Westbrook College Historic District. The project was presented as primarily intended to improve accessibility — adding an elevator and code-compliant means of egress — and to create interior commons and study space for students while restoring exterior historic materials.
Architect John Turk summarized earlier phases of conservation work and the new scope of work, saying the project will restore exterior features including “stained glass windows, new roofing, new restoration of of existing board and batten trim and, siding.” Applicant representative Andrew Fleet described the addition as focused on access: “So this will vastly improve the accessibility of the structure and allow for that continued commons nuisance in the future.”
The design replaces and enlarges a 1986 rear addition, lowering a portion of the site roughly three feet to re-establish the building's original grade, and adds an elevator, a stair up and down, and an internal plan that places the elevator between a small entry lobby and an open commons rising to the ridge. The lower level will be finished as study rooms, small-group rooms and restrooms sized to meet the building's occupancy; the upper level will retain a flexible commons and campus-store style retail area. The team described exterior materials as a mix of board-and-batten to match the historic block for the first six feet of attachment, with mass timber structural posts and glass infill for the modern portion, and a proposed flat-seam metal cladding system in a zinc-like finish. Presenters said the curtain-wall option proved unaffordable and the current window/metal system is a budget-driven alternative.
Board members asked about several technical and material details during the hearing, including roof shingle choices (the project team noted historic roofs on the building were likely wood), the proposed metal cladding and its expected patina, and construction details such as seams where metal meets glazing. City staff and the applicant noted a recent local change to Portland's ADA clearance requirement (from 60 to 67 inches in the primary entry area) and said the design had been adjusted to meet the new local standard.
After questions and a public-comment period with no remote or in-person speakers, a motion to approve application HP-00005-2025 carried. The board's approval included: (1) a finding that the proposal meets the applicable review standards for alterations to contributing properties and for additions/new construction; (2) direction that staff review and approve final masonry selections in writing; and (3) a modification to substitute a zinc cap (zinc-clad/capped base) in place of the originally proposed precast brick cap.
Votes at the hearing were recorded by roll call; the transcript records affirmative votes from Hillary Bassett, Michael Hutchins, Robert O'Brien, Bob Whitton and Brad Miller. The motion text as made on the record is included in the meeting minutes and the application file. The board did not identify additional conditions on the core design but indicated lighting and final material details (brick color, mortar joint, and lighting fixture selection) could be addressed by staff-level review.
Next steps outlined during the meeting: the project team will provide masonry mock-ups and material samples to staff; staff will confirm final brick/mortar/metal details and review lighting for compliance with local regulations. Construction sequencing, permit approvals and precise construction timelines were not specified during the hearing.
