By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

Could a third time be the charm? South Portland officials hope so. 

After being rejected twice before, the city offered another proposal last week to investors who want to use the old Maine Army National Guard Armory on Broadway as a sound stage for making films. 

“The (city) council met and we finalized a lease agreement. I mailed the agreement to Native Son Productions this week. The ball is in their court,” South Portland City Manager Jim Gailey wrote in an e-mail last Friday.

Native Son Productions is owned by Cape Elizabeth resident Eric Matheson, leader of the investment group.

Matheson confirmed last Friday he received the proposal and referred it to his attorney for review. Following the legal review, the investors will respond to Gailey and the city council, Matheson said. He expected to give the city an answer sometime this week.

“We had two leases so far and this is the best one we’ve gotten out of the council,” Matheson said. The two previous leases offered occupancy terms of one year and four years. 

Matheson said he couldn’t discuss details of the proposal but he did say it was a five-year lease with an option to renew the lease or buy the property.

Matheson said he was “cautiously optimistic” about the city’s latest offer and added, “Nothing is in our way so far.”  

Maxine Beecher, one of the city councilors who supports the lease agreement for Native Son, said she likes the idea of turning the armory into a sound stage for filmmaking. 

“It has passed muster with the neighbors who abut the property,” Beecher said. “It encourages the arts and may blossom into more opportunities. It would be wonderful to get it back on the tax rolls.” 

A purchase could come within two to three years after the lease begins, Matheson said. The purchase price would have to include credit for improvements made to the property.

Before occupying the armory, Native Son would have to do extensive renovations. It will take five years and $3 million to build the sound stage, install a heating system, repair the electrical system, replace the roof and put in bathrooms, Matheson said.

“They would fix it up and utilize a building that has some historical significance,” said Beecher. “It needs somebody to take care of it.”

The armory, located on Broadway at the entrance to the Casco Bay Bridge, has been vacant since 1994. The city has been negotiating with Matheson for more than a year.

Last April South Portland Planning Director Tex Haeuser has said the armory is zoned by the city for use as a sound stage. It sits on a 2.74-acre parcel and includes 32,000 square feet of space, according to Gailey.

“It’s kind of exciting. It’s what I’ve wanted to do ever since I saw the building,” Matheson said.

Native Son Productions is a support system company that provides props, sets and special effects for movies. Matheson said he has been in the filmmaking business for 40 years. 

Once the remodeling is complete, the building will be utilized in many ways, Matheson said.

Some parts would be leased to the nearby police and fire departments for storing vehicles and equipment.

The sound stage will be used for producing films and office space would rented to others in film-related businesses, said Matheson.

“This would work,” Beecher said. “It would bring a little flavor to South Portland.”

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.

Armory chronology

January 1943 – Maine State Military Defense is the first owner of the new building and surrounding land

 1994 – The Maine Army National Guard moves out of the building, which has remained vacant since.

 October 2002 – The Museum of Glass and Ceramics purchases the property for $550,000.

 March 2006 – The Estate of the Museum of Glass and Ceramics begins bankruptcy proceedings and is removed as the owner.

 April 2006 – The city of South Portland purchases the property for $650,000.

 September 2006 – South Portland city council forms armory committee to study future uses for the building.

 November 2007 – The city council accepts a report from the armory committee recommending the building be used as a new city hall.

 October 2008 – The city holds the first public hearing about what to do with the armory. Suggestions ranged from converting the space into a new city hall, a sound stage or a skate park or simply bulldozing the building and selling the land.