UMaine students to present their downtown Lewiston visions

LEWISTON —  A group of architecture students will present their visions for Lewiston's downtown at a special meeting on Nov. 13.

"They came up with some great ideas, very interesting but modest, too," said Ian Houseal, assistant to the Lewiston city administrator.

The 13 students from the University of Maine-Augusta architecture program began using downtown Lewiston as a living laboratory in August. The senior-level students of professor Eric Stark have spent the last few months creating master plans of their own for the area between Park Street and the river. Next, they'll come up with some specific design treatments.

The students will unveil their master plans to the public beginning at 9 a.m. Nov. 13 in the Lewiston City Council chambers in City Hall. Those sessions are designed to get public comment and criticism on the plans.

"One of them drew a boathouse on the river, near the south bridge, something you'd be able to see as you came across from Auburn," Houseal said. "It could house a crew team from Bates College or something like that. Another one reordered the street network on both sides of the river and others talked about getting a downtown supermarket or grocery store."

Students previously developed senior projects on parts of Biddeford and for the waterfront area of Hallowell.

Next, students will begin designing buildings to fit in with their master plans. At the end of the class, Houseal said the group hopes to come up with three different development scenarios for the Androscoggin River area, as well as 15 designs for buildings there.

staylor@sunjournal.com