Kennedy Park (Portland, Maine)

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Kennedy Park is a neighborhood in East Bayside, downtown Portland, Maine. It centers around a park with athletic fields, basketball courts, a playground and the Boyd Street Urban Garden. The area includes about 160 rental units and is part of a diverse community.

As of the 2010 census, Census Tract 5 (which includes Kennedy Park) is the most diverse part of Portland, with residents roughly as follows: about 60% White, 21% Black, 6% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 1% Native American and 4% Multiracial.

Kennedy Park was built in 1964–1965 as public housing after much of the neighborhood’s historic homes were demolished in controversial slum-clearance and urban-renewal efforts that shaped the city’s development. In the late 1950s, renovations demolished dozens of homes on nearby streets, and Franklin Street was turned into a two-lane highway that still divides parts of the city.

The neighborhood is named for President John F. Kennedy. It contains 160 rental units.

In its early decades, Kennedy Park faced crime and drug problems, but crime has declined in recent years. From the 1980s onward, the area became home to a growing mix of immigrant communities. By the 2010s, many old industrial properties were converted into breweries, coffee roasters, restaurants and art galleries, and new condos appeared. The increase in live events has led to more noise complaints from neighbors.

There have been notable safety incidents, including attacks on police by fireworks during responses to gun violence on July 4, 2021 and July 4, 2022; authorities said most people involved were not neighborhood residents.

Kennedy Park is near Franklin Street and not far from Franklin Towers, Maine’s tallest residential building. Local schools include Portland High School and East End Community School.