National Register of Historic Places

Mariner's Church

Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
Listed
April 22, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73000117

About this property

Mariner's Church (also known as the Old Port Tavern and Mariner's Church Banquet Center) is a historic church and commercial building at 366–376 Fore Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1828, the Greek Revival building historically served as both a church and marketplace. It was for many years the city's largest commercial building, and survived the city's great 1866 fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The former Mariner's Church occupies much of a city block in Portland's Old Port area. It occupies a trapezoidal lot bounded on the north by Fore Street, the east by Market Street, and the west by Moulton Street, with its main facade facing toward Fore Street. It is a three-story masonry structure, built of granite and brick, with a broad gabled roof. The main facade has six storefronts on the ground floor, each with a recessed entrance flanked on one side by a large fixed-pane display window. The second floor has a bank of twelve round-arch windows, with rectangular windows on the third level. The gable above is fully pedimented, with a fanlight window near the center of its base. The building's corners are rounded, the left one in brick and the right one in stone. The main facade is predominantly stone, with the street-facing side walls mainly brick. The building was constructed in 1828 and was used for "moral and religious" instruction of local mariners, with the building's upkeep supported by the commercial businesses on its ground floor. The building was damaged in the city's 1866 fire. In 1969 the building was purchased by C.H. Robinson who saved it from demolition. In 1973 the building opened as a restaurant known as the Old Port Tavern, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places that same year. Today, the building is used for events as the Mariner's Church Banquet Center. Old Port Tavern, on the Moulton Street side of the building, closed in 2022, after fifty years of operation. Old Port Billiards, on the building's third story, remained open. The property is now affiliated with the Portland Regency Hotel & Spa, a member of Historic Hotels of America. National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine

Location

368-374 Fore St.
Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
43.65650, -70.25262

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURERELIGIONSOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Mariner's Church

This page lists Mariner's Church. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Mariner's Church report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

U.S. Customhouse
Industrial
0.1 mi
Woodman Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Rackleff Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Thompson Block
Industrial
0.2 mi
Portland Waterfront (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Queen Anne's War – Raid on Casco ME 1703
1703Colonial
0.1 mi
Siege of Fort Loyal (Falmouth) 1690
1690Colonial
0.3 mi
Siege of Fort Loyal Casco 1690
1690Colonial
0.3 mi
Raid on Falmouth (Casco, Maine) 1690
1690Colonial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Mariner's Church listed on the National Register?

Mariner's Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Mariner's Church?

Mariner's Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Mariner's Church?

The period of significance for Mariner's Church is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Mariner's Church?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Mariner's Church will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Cumberland County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Cumberland County.

Explore CumberlandCounty ›

More historic places in Maine

Browse all historic places in Maine.

View Mainehistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Maine history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Mainehistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Mariner's Church will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report