connect the new building to the city and the region.” To express the museum’s connection to Maine, Cobb used locally made materials common to Maine (water-struck brick, pine, and granite) as his chief design materials. These materials call to the vernacular architecture of Portland, defined by the brick commercial buildings and warehouses of the Old Port and the Federal style brick buildings near the museum. Furthermore, from the ground looking up at the Payson building, one is struck with how the façade’s semicircular openings encase the air and light of Maine, making it part of the building. A similar effect is achieved with the building’s many octagonal clerestories. These clerestories also recall the viewing decks of the region’s lighthouses as well as the octagonal Portland Observatory, a major city icon. Additionally, porthole-like windows reveal views of the Fore River recalling Maine’s rich nautical history. External links Sources Buildings and structures in Portland, Maine Museums in Portland, Maine Buildings and structures completed in 1983