Variously used for the manufacture and sale of furniture from the 1830s through the 1980s, this complex of buildings were creatively rehabilitated and placed back in service in late 2000. Individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this certified rehabilitation project is a successful example of mixed-use in a downtown location.
Designed by architects Francis H. Fassett and Fredrick A. Tompson, Old Westbrook High School was constructed in 1886 and is a landmark on Main Street in Westbrook. Vacant and deteriorating for years, the Westbrook Housing Authority saved this monumental Romanesque revival building by using Federal and State Rehabilitation Tax Credits in conjunction with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. This beautiful rehabilitation of the entire school complex created twenty-nine units of affordable senior housing in the heart of downtown Westbrook.
The Cummings Shoe Factory is individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its nearly 120 year participation in the shoe industry in Maine, once a cornerstone of the State?s economy. This certified rehabilitation project converted the large vacant mill building into forty-eight units of market rate rental housing.
The Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse (AKA St. Joseph's Academy) was a previously vacant convent that was converted to 88 units of housing; 66 affordable and 22 market-rate. The building was upgraded for energy efficiency and several neglected maintenance items were addressed. Interior architectural detailing in the sanctuary, hallways and various other locations was preserved and restored. The rehabilitation was certified by the National Park Service in 2019. Photo by Christine Beard, Essex Preservation
York Manufacturing Company Mill #4 is a 225,000 square foot mill building that was previously underutilized and vacant for many years. The building was constructed between 1880 and 1890 as an extension of the York Manufacturing Company's textile production efforts. Mill #4 was rehabilitated into 150 units of market-rate housing with commercial space on the lower floors. The rehabilitation was certified by the National Park Service in 2017. Photo by Christine Beard, Essex Preservation
The Scruton Block's upper floors were previously vacant, the facade had been covered with an aluminum screen that hid the front elevation, and the storefront had been substantially altered. The rehabilitation removed the facade screen, restored the entire facade and storefront, and addressed numerous maintenance issues. The first floor continues to be used for commercial space and 12 market rate apartment units at the upper floors were incorporated. The rehabilitation was certified by the National Park Service in 2021. Photo by Scott Hanson, MacRostie Historic Advisors.
The first floor of the Paquin Building was vacant with offices on the second and third floors. The first floor storefront and most of the windows had been substantially altered in prior decades. The building was rehabilitated and the windows and storefront were restored to their historic appearance. Retail space was retained and improved on the first floor and 16 residential units were created on the upper floors. The rehabilitation was certified by the National Park Service in 2020. Photo by Christine Beard, Essex Preservation
The New Purington Brothers Building was partially vacant and in need of maintenance prior to its rehabilitation. The building was rehabilitated into three first floor commercial spaces with nine new market-rate residential apartments on the second floor. The facade was restored to its historic appearance and many significant interior historic features and finishes were preserved. Deferred maintenance was also addressed. The rehabilitation was certified by the National Park Service in 2021. Photo by Scott Hanson, MacRostie Historic Advisors
The former International Order of Odd Fellows Hall in Brooklin, Maine had been vacant for a long period of time and was in poor condition as a result of deferred maintenance and water run-off from an adjacent street. The property was rehabilitated for use as a boat building workshop on the first floor with rental spaces upstairs. An appropriate drainage system was installed and the building's first floor structural system was substantially restored as part of the rehabilitation.