Long before it became a hotspot for restaurants and boutiques, Exchange Street in Portland was part of the Old Port’s working class fabric.
Here are five photos from the 1950s and ’60s that depict the street on typical days. We’re especially fond of the architecture and cool cars.
In this Portland Press Herald photo taken on a snowy day in 1951, Exchange Street is seen with a view of Portland City Hall. Local businesses at the time included Royal Typewriters and Hooper’s Furniture. (John Olson/Staff Photographer)Upper Exchange Street is pictured in a photo in the Portland Press Herald on Sept. 19, 1954. The delivery truck in the middle was was illegally parked, causing a traffic back-up so big that a police officer moved the truck and issued the driver a ticket. (John Olson/Staff Photographer)An office building at 102 Exchange Street just opened, in a photo in the Evening Express on Feb. 28, 1959. The building was originally four stories and was converted into a two-story following a fire a year earlier. (Portland Press Herald file photo)A cluster of six buildings on lower Exchange Street purchased by Canal National Bank are visible in a photo n the Evening Express on Nov. 15, 1966. (John Olson/Staff Photographer)In this Portand Press Herald photo dated Aug. 17, 1967, buildings on the corner of Exhange and Federal Street, including Roscoe S. Davis & Co., are pictured. The Roscoe S. David & Co space is currently occupied by the Corner Room Italian Restaurant and Bar. According to City of Portland real estate records, the building on this exact corner of Exchange and Federal Street was constructed in 1900. (Portland Press Herald file photo)
Aimsel Ponti is a music writer and content producer for the Portland Press Herald. She has been obsessed with – and inspired by – music since she listened to Monkees records borrowed from the town…
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