Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 27 J U LY 2 3 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / D E S I G N More recently, in Vassalboro, St. Bridget's Church opened this summer as a privately owned community center, available for rent. Rachel and James Kilbride bought the church, as well as the parish house, where they now live, and an acre of land in 201 and spent three years renovating it. Built in 1926, the church closed in 2011. In Lewiston, developer Andrew Knight redeveloped St. Patrick's Church, which closed in 2011, and its rectory into an event center and luxury hotel, opening in late 201. Maine Preservation, which notes the project on its website, says revitalizing such landmarks attracts new investors while ensuring that "Maine's stunning witnesses to the past remain a lasting legacy for generations to come." Examples can be found all over Maine. Developers say that a lot of community work goes into church redevelopment projects — the prop- erty often carries deep emotional ties. It was true of the Mont Carmel basilica — community resistance to it closing and being redeveloped prompted the years of legal obstacles. Bunker and Wadsworth both worked closely with municipalities and commu- nity while fi nalizing their projects. Still, churches and other religious property are attractive to developers for many reasons, including location. " ey're usually well-situated, usu- ally in the middle of a town or city," Wadsworth says. e Notre Dame project doesn't have any community space, aside from the laundry rooms. "But look at where it is," Wadsworth says, indicat- ing downtown Saco. " ere's their community space." e Motherhouse is in the center of the Deering neighborhood, where several new restaurants have opened, on the bus line and next to the Baxter Woods conservation area. 'No one's going to build any more of these' Notre Dame is the second such project for Hardypond. e fi rm redeveloped the former Clark United Methodist Church in Portland into 2 apartments last year. e property was sold to investor Suzanne Hanson for 4. million earlier this year. Besides location, Wadsworth says that churches in particular "have a huge amount of space, but it's not broken up." " ey're built really well," she said. " ese older churches have bones, and great structure." Bunker agrees. "No one's going to build any more of these," he says of the Motherhouse. Four of the Notre Dame units have already been rented out to students at the University of New England who needed immediate housing. Bunker is hoping some of the for- mer Motherhouse nuns, who now live in adjacent McAuley senior housing, will come back to live in their old digs. " ere's typically strong demand for our stuff ," Bunker says. "But we've had hundreds [of applications for Motherhouse units]. People really want to live here." M M, Mainebiz sta writer, can be reached at @ . THERE IS A DIFFERENCE THERE IS Because Construction Management Design/Build General Contracting Engineering Sheridan Construction www.sheridancorp.com Fairfield Portland 207-453-9311 207-774-6138 Freeport High School They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really They're built really well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older well. These older churches have bones, and great structure. — Deirdre Wadsworth Hardypond Construction F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY At the former Clark United Methodist Church, Hardypond's conversion maintains features like original beams. The Clark conversion made way for 25 apartments. It was sold to an investor for $4.3 million. Hardypond Construction is converting the former Clark United Methodist church in Portland to apartments.

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