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V O L . X X V N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 1 9 , 2 0 1 9 18 G R E AT E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E J ust three years ago, an entire block on Exchange Street in Bangor was devoid of activity. e lights were out, the exteriors of six historic buildings needed work. e inte- riors were a mix of dated historical styles, bland office space and old infrastructure. Today, thanks to developer Adam Moskovitz, the block is a lively hub of arts, culture and small businesses. In 2016, Moskovitz acquired the portfolio, which included a 1912 Classical Revival bank at the corner of Exchange and State, and a building called the Nichols Block that was built in 1892 and has a grand ballroom on the third floor that was the original home of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. An Army veteran and owner of ANM Properties LLC, a Bangor prop- erty management firm, Moskovitz's primary focus at the time was on buy- ing, renovating and renting historic homes. An entire block of buildings was a big leap driven by the value-add opportunity. "It was a pretty big risk," he says. But he tackled it bit by bit, perform- ing code and safety improvements, updating storefronts and interiors and looking for prospective tenants. His first prospect was the Bangor Symphony Orchestra. e organization was intrigued by the thought of returning to its roots and being in a larger and more cen- tral location. A year of negotiations with the BSO and an arts incuba- tor called Launchpad birthed a new organization called Bangor Arts Exchange. Today, the upper-stories are alive with the arts, including the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Bangor Youth Symphony Orches- tra, Launchpad and Bangor Ballet, which have offices there along with space for performances, rehears- als, classes and other gatherings throughout the year. At the street level, there's now Black Bear Brewing Co., a shop called City Drawers, and the financial services company ompson-Hamel. Some of the upper-story space is occupied by offices and a video pro- duction company. In sync, the city installed wide sidewalks, new street paving, attractive light fixtures and buckets of flowers. Downtown redevelopment has been aided by the new headquarters of Bangor Savings Bank, which stretches the downtown toward the Darling's Waterfront Concerts pavilion. "In the grand scheme of things, I feel good about adding more value to downtown Bangor," says Moskovitz. "And I emphasize 'value' because that's basically the heart of any downtown — having worthwhile businesses and retail spaces and restaurants that bring people into the downtown." P H O T O / L A U R I E S C H R E I B E R F O C U S "In the grand scheme of things, I feel good about adding more value to downtown Bangor. And I emphasize 'value' because that's basically the heart of any downtown — having worthwhile businesses and retail spaces and restaurants that bring people into the downtown. — Adam Moskovitz ANM Properties LLC Adam Moskovitz redeveloped a block of Exchange Street in downtown Bangor, which has seen a revitalization in recent years. REVIVAL Queen City Downtown Bangor's redevelopment continues on Exchange Street B y l a u r i e S c h r e i B e r

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