411 Marginal Way Holds Decades Of Portland’s Automotive History

A building has been located on Marginal Way for over 60 years. Today, it's the home of U-Haul, but do you know what was originally built for?

411 Marginal Way

This is what the building looks like in 2025. According to Portland Landmarks, the building was constructed in 1963 with an ultra-modern look for its time and was designed by John H. Leasure.

On the outside of the building, it is mostly unchanged, but the inside has been partially filled with storage units that you can see clearly from I-295 or Marginal Way as you drive by.

Portland Motor Sales

The unique building was the home of Portland Motor Sales, which moved from Forest Avenue into their new building on Marginal Way. Portland Motor Sales was the largest Ford dealer in all of Maine at the time. The Vice President was Wallace Camp Senior, who went on to own Rowe Ford, which has been a part of the Camp family ever since. The current General Manager is Wallace Camp Jr.'s son, the third generation of the Camp family to serve as GM.

Sadly, Wallace Camp Senior passed away in 2021 at the age of 96.

U-Haul Moves In

Since 1980, U-Haul Moving & Storage has taken the spot where the Portland Motor Sales dealership operated. I was surprised to learn that U-Haul had been there for over 40 years.

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The building is unique, but it has lost a little bit of its character when two-thirds of the building was filled with storage space. I get it. That's how business goes, but I much prefer the original look of the Portland Motor Sales showroom.