Time and Temperature Building, Art Deco office building in downtown Portland, United States.
The Time and Temperature Building is a 14-story office structure in downtown Portland that features a rooftop digital display showing the current time and temperature to passers-by and drivers. Located on Congress Street, it serves as a functional information point visible across the downtown area.
The building was first constructed in 1924 as the Chapman Building, housing Maine's first indoor shopping center. It was expanded from 12 to 14 floors during the 1960s as the city continued to develop.
The rooftop sign has become a reference point for downtown, regularly showing time and messages that locals notice in their daily routines. People in the area often orient themselves by checking what is displayed there.
The building is easily visible from street level and can be viewed quickly without planning ahead, as the display is clearly readable from the sidewalk. You can walk by at any time to see what is currently displayed.
In 1991, state lawmakers created a specific legal exception to allow this building's electronic sign to operate despite regulations against such displays. This legal oddity made the rooftop display a rare example of its kind in the region.
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