Project Title: Niles House Reclamation

Firm: Dextrous Creative, LLC

Submitted for Consideration in: Landscape

Client: Tracie J. Reed

Location: Portland, Maine

Project-At-a-Glance:
The project reclaims an underutilized lot, creating colorful, pollinator-friendly gardens and outdoor living space that respects and celebrates the neighborhood’s historical importance while also creating privacy for its residents. Amidst city bustle, the project establishes a serene entry sequence blurring programmed, unprogrammed space, public and private realms.

Project Narrative:

The site in Portland’s India Street neighborhood encompasses 2,887 square feet. It houses a home built by the Niles family; Portland’s oldest home (remaining) built by a Black family (1844). The site is bordered by the Abyssinian Meeting House, where the Niles were founding members.

For the past century the Niles House has been adjacent to industrial manufacturing sites, now being redevelopment. The Niles house has quietly born witnessed to these transformations. By 2019 overgrown arborvitae, turf grass, five varieties of fencing and long asphalt drive greeted visitors.

The home touches the rear and both side lot lines at its widest points leaving the front portion of the site the only area unoccupied by building.

If the rear yard is ‘for me’ the front yard is ‘for we.’ The project sought to reclaim the underutilized lot, creating a garden and outdoor living space which respects and celebrates the neighborhood’s historical importance while also creating privacy for its residents. Amidst the bustle of the city’s core the project aims to establish a serene entry sequence blurring programmed, unprogrammed space, public and private realms.

The result is a 900 SF garden including over 50 varieties of plants, 17 edible, and two patios. The project included removing 300 SF of asphalt parking and all turf grass. The project was completed for under $30,000.

In Fall 2020 the site hosted a public art installation, sponsored by Space Gallery. The site-specific installation paid homage to three of the Nile’s eleven children who fought in the Civil War and sought ‘to express the impression of the blurred boundary of citizen or exile, the complex and fraught existence of Black Civil War soldier, the phoenix that rose between enslavement and annihilation.’ It is anticipated in future years similar events/installations will take place, hosted on the site.