From 1907 to 2011, the Nathan Clifford School served as an elementary school in Oakdale, a residential neighborhood adjacent to Portland’s peninsula and I-295. The Nathan Clifford School was designed by John Calvin Stevens, a renowned architect in Maine, and offered a number of important contributions to the educational and social history of the neighborhood and greater region. Since the school played a significant role in Oakdale’s history, the neighborhood was eager to see their landmark brought back to its former stature. In 2012, the Portland City Council authorized the creation of a task force to report back with a list of preferred uses for the property.

In 2013, Developers Collaborative was chosen by the City of Portland to redevelop of the Nathan Clifford School, proposing 22 market rate condominium apartment units. In response to community feedback, DC maintained the existing open space on Deane Street as a public park with the existing playground equipment. The project, DC’s fifth historic tax credit project, was completed in December 2014 and was at the leading edge of Portland’s residential renaissance, being the first market rate apartment complex constructed in the City in several decades. It opened to widespread acclaim and has been 100% occupied since. It has also won several preservation awards.