Brick Market

3 Pleasant Street 

The heart of downtown Market Square ~ Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Originally constructed in 1794 as a one story public market, with a second floor built in 1800 as a town hall. The building burnt down in the 1802 fire and was rebuilt in 1804 with arched openings for 10 merchants’ stalls on the street level and continued as an auditorium for town and public meetings. In 1864 the City of Portsmouth remodeled the Brick Market as a City Hall and renamed the building to “Jefferson Hall”.  An observer at the time thought the remodeled building looked like “a donkey with elephantine ears”.

The building continued to be used as City Hall until 1910 when the City of Portsmouth sold the property to The New Hampshire National Bank of Portsmouth for $20,000. At the time of the sale the subject parcel was considered the most valuable piece of property in the City.

The fully restored building now serves as home to Toscana Chop House and Wine Bar, Kennebunk Savings Bank 1871 Group, Ravensburger, NA and McNabb Properties from ground floor to the spectacular copper ellipse fourth floor.

Initial Project Renderings for 3 Pleasant Street

Penhallow Street and Daniel Street are alive again 

A site steeped in history with the original building constructed in 1740, known as the Clagett-Hart House . . . and 

Years later during the Revolution, Noah Parker resided in the pretentious edifice and it was locally known as “Noah’s Ark” from which Ark Street (now Penhallow) got its name. Noah Parker was a blacksmith & whitesmith, and also became Portsmouth’s first universalist minister.

In the great fire of 1813 practically, every building was destroyed in the entire area except Noah’s Ark survived which was considered extraordinary since it was a wooden structure. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s multiple buildings were constructed on the subject parcel and well know local businesses including Moe’s Italian Sandwich, Eagle Photo and Gilley’s Lunch Truck all occupied buildings on the parcel. In the 1950’s Noah’s Ark and the adjacent building were razed for a parking lot in a wave of Urban Renewal. The surface parking lot will now become home to the first contemporary architecture in downtown Portsmouth Historic District.

During the fall of 2020 ground breaking began to bring the 60 Penhallow at Brick Market to life with blasting and excavation to ultimately accommodate two levels of underground parking, as well as a first floor of roughly 18,000 square feet to house Hearth Market (a delightfully European styled open cafe with an exotic mix of food and beverage offerings) and its three upper floors which are the most intriguing office space to hit the downtown Portsmouth market, yet!   

Sitework, steel, fir timbers, glass and hardscapes and a lot of hardwork between Fall 2020 and Spring 2023 - now fully leased. 

Opening of Hearth Food Garden - April / May 2023 - check them out www.hearthfoodgarden.com

Initial Project Renderings for 60 Penhallow Street

Check back for more details soon.