ORONO, Maine — Crossland Hall, the oldest building on the University of Maine’s Orono campus, may soon be replaced with more than 125 parking spaces—a proposal that’s sparking backlash from students and community members.

Built in 1833, Crossland Hall has stood for nearly two centuries and is home to important pieces of Maine and Franco-American history.

"See this photo, on the back it says 1919," UMaine student Amy Bradford, who works as an archivist at Crossland Hall, said while combing through historic photos. "It's just finding stuff like this that makes me love this place."

But with an estimated $10 million in needed repairs, UMaine officials say preserving the building isn’t financially feasible.

"If we made that sort of investment, we wouldn't be able to make investments in thin

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