I Never Noticed This Cool Part of Portland’s Merrill Auditorium in Over 25 Years
I don't know how I missed this.
I work near Merrill Auditorium and see it daily. I have also been going to Merrill since it was Portland City Hall Auditorium. I saw the B-52s back in the early '90s when it was city hall. I love this venue. I've loved it since I've been in Maine for 35 years. I've been to almost every Magic of Christmas since the Portland Symphony Orchestra started doing them. But when I was pulling onto Congress Street, there it was staring me right in the face and I had NEVER noticed it before. The words Merrill Auditorium are etched along the bricks near the entrance.
The auditorium was built in 1911 and underwent a major rebuild and renovation in 1997 becoming Merrill Auditorium. It's got that huge pipe organ, the Hermann Kotzschmar Memorial Organ.
Am I the only one that didn't notice the etching? Is it new? I don't know a thing about it, except that I just noticed it. It's still owned and operated by Portland, so I suppose I could call the city and ask. I'm sure they have better things to do. Please tell me you've treated yourself to a show at Merrill. It's absolutely gorgeous inside.
If you've never been to Portland's City Hall, the whole thing is gorgeous. It's truly a walk back in time. When you go to register a car or whatever brings you to City Hall, I always feel like the men should have fedoras on.
If you've seen that etching on the side of the building, let me know.