Ocean Park

History

Ocean Park was chartered January 24, 1881 by a group of Free Will Baptists led by Bates College President Oren Cheney. The association purchased the original 45-acre Guilford property for $5,000 with the intent of building a Christian summer encampment along the Maine coast. The street grid, lot pattern, and the central role of the Temple all date to that founding intent and are still visible today.

The Temple

The Temple is the only octagonal community church in Maine. It was built in 1881 by James Bickford to a design by Dow and Wheeler, with seating capacity between 1,000 and 1,450 depending on configuration. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

The Temple still hosts summer worship, lectures, and concerts, and is the architectural anchor of the neighborhood. You can see the building from the beach approach at Temple Avenue.

Ocean Park Association

The Ocean Park Association (OPA) operates the Post Office at 15 Colby Avenue, the seasonal Memorial Library at Furber Park, and the summer programming calendar that defines the neighborhood. Membership is voluntary but most year-round and seasonal cottage owners participate. The association is also the keeper of the founding charter and many of the deed restrictions that still govern lot use in the original 45-acre tract.

Real estate

Inventory is tightly held. Many cottages have stayed in the same families for four generations or more, and turnover in any given summer is small. Some lots in the original tract carry deed restrictions tied to OPA rules covering use, exterior alterations, and seasonal occupancy. Read the deed and any association bylaws carefully before assuming you can rent, expand, or convert.

Annual events

• Sand Sculpture Competition, July 3.
• July 4 Parade through Ocean Park.
• Illumination Night, early August. Lanterns hung from cottage porches across the neighborhood.

Beach access and rules

Ocean Park has its own dog ordinance, slightly tighter than OOB proper. Dogs are off-leash off the beach 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day, where OOB proper enforces 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beach fires and personal fireworks are prohibited everywhere on the OOB shoreline including Ocean Park.

Living year-round

Ocean Park is materially quieter than downtown OOB year-round and dramatically quieter in summer. Walkability to the rest of OOB is good along the beach and Saco Avenue. The religious heritage still shapes the seasonal calendar, with worship, lectures, and concerts at the Temple anchoring summer weekends.