Developers of old dorms donate piles of furniture
Congress Street development yields desks, chairs, tables and cabinets
Like the college students who once inhabited their buildings on Congress Street, Portland developers Justin Alfond and Greg Shinberg believe in reusing old furniture.
The developers are in the process of turning old University of Southern Maine dorms in downtown Portland into apartments and retail stores. The problem is, the buildings that they bought on Congress Street — defunct dorm rooms on a 1.67-acre lot — were chock full of old desks, chairs and cabinets.
Alfond and Shinberg said they decided to donate thousands of pieces of furniture, even though doing so has ended up costing more than simply jettisoning the leftovers.
"Right now, raising money for nonprofits is hard," Shinberg noted. ""We're trying to do what we can to help people."
Alfond called the furniture recycling a "perfect example" of the partners' goal of bringing the private sector, community and government together. The developers are working with the city to deliver furniture to immigrant populations and nonprofits, he noted.
Three or four truckloads of dorm furniture were taken to Gobeil's Furniture Galleries in Gray, which offers a furniture donation program. The developers also provided furniture to Catholic charities, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine and Shalom House, a housing program that helps people with mental illness.
It's no mean feat to reclaim the furniture, Shinberg noted. When the complex at 645 Congress St. was in use by the college, about 343 students lived there. Roughly 110 of the rooms are in three wings due for demolition, while another 42 are in a pair of century-old buildings facing Congress Street where the developers are preparing a massive rehabilitation.
Shinberg anticipated occupancy of the new development by next fall. Crews are busy today moving desks, chairs, tables and cabinets to accessible locations.
Shinberg said that adults aren't always appreciative of the old dorms and their potential, but his sons walked through and liked what they saw.
"My younger boy said, 'This is sweet. This is nice,'" he recalled.
The developers decided the dorm furniture in particular deserved a second life.
"At this point, we've given away over 1,200 pieces of furniture," Shinberg said in late February.
Anyone interested in old dorm furniture from the former USM complex is invited to contact Shinberg at 772-7070.
