Poulsen House

The Poulsen House, a 5,187-square-foot historic landmark located on the east side of the Ross Island Bridge in Portland, was originally listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. When a wealth management firm considered purchasing the property for office use, Kidd Panoscha Architecture was engaged to conduct a feasibility study for converting the building from residential to commercial occupancy. The project required careful balance between preserving the historic character of the structure and meeting modern building codes. An extensive building code and structural review, along with a detailed search of historic permit records, revealed that a previous conversion effort had been permitted but never finalized. By collaborating closely with Portland Building & Development Services and navigating a complex building code appeal process, the team successfully reactivated the expired permit and completed the occupancy conversion—making the project viable and bringing new life to this Portland landmark as a contemporary commercial office.

Client Team: Alex Roy
Photographer: Alex Roy, Listing Agent