Press Release

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a 278-ft tower crane.

If you’ve driven in or around Portland lately, you’ve probably noticed something new in the sky. It’s a 278-ft. tower crane located at 201 Federal Street that will be used to erect what will become Maine’s tallest building.

Over three days last week, the massive tower crane was erected with the help of a temporary crane. The tower crane will remain in place over the next ten months to erect steel beams and joists, as well as the finished exterior panels for the new 263-unit apartment complex.

“It was exciting to oversee the process of the tower crane erection,” said Project Superintendent Erik Vaillant. “We used a small 40-ton mobile crane to build the jib of the larger, 550-ton crane. That crane was then used to get high enough to top off the final crane that will be used on the project over the next several months.”

Once completed, the 201-ft. building will become the State’s tallest building surpassing Portland’s 175-ft Franklin Towers public housing facility.

The 18-story, 180,000-SF mixed-use building, developed by Redfern Properties, will provide much-needed housing in downtown Portland. The building will include 263 market-rate apartments, a 2,100-SF fitness room, and a commercial office suite, such as a gallery, on the lower level.  A 1,500-SF sky lounge with views of the Atlantic Ocean will be built on the top floor. The second floor will feature a 3,000-SF shared lounge with co-working desks and other spaces. A small plaza is designed on the urban site to include benches, a water wall, and plantings.

The project team includes Landry/French Construction, Construction Manager: Redfern Properties, Developer; Ryan Senatore Architecture, Architect; Structural Integrity, Structural Engineer; Acorn Engineering, Civil Engineer; Cordjia Capital Projects Group, Owner’s Representative; and financing with NBT Bank, Machias Savings Bank, and Bank of New Hampshire.