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V O L . X X I V N O. X V J U LY 2 3 , 2 0 1 8 24 T here isn't one apartment of the 19 being built at the former Notre Dame des Lourdes church in Saco that will be alike. "Nothing here is cookie-cutter," says Deirdre Wadsworth, president of Hardypond Construction as she toured the 20,000-square-foot Notre Dame. e interior, which was once mostly open from fl oor to the rafters, is divided into studio apartments — but not tra- ditional studios. Stained glass windows are a small part of it; the apartments also vary wildly in sizes, some have lofts and other non-traditional space. On Stevens Avenue in Portland, the same can be said for the 88 apart- ments that are being created in the former St. Joseph convent. e Motherhouse, a nod to its standing with the local Sisters of Mercy, couldn't be more diff erent from the clapboard church in Saco. e 110,000-square-foot three-story brick building, however, has some- thing in common with the clapboard former church. " ere's no such thing as typical," developer Kevin Bunker, of Developers Collaborative, says of the studio and one- bedroom apartments in the building. As the Catholic Church consoli- dates and closes property in the face of shrinking parishes and growing expenses, developers are fi nding ways to make the property — most of it well-built and much of it well-located — into something that works for the community it's in. Projects range from those by devel- opers like Wadsworth and Bunker, to smaller private ones. Both Wadsworth and Bunker say that creating modern living units out of a building that was made for something else is a challenge, but a challenge they relish. "It's defi nitely more work, from the construction side and the project as a whole," Wadsworth says. "But we get this [in return]." Old community, new community Notre Dame des Lourdes served a par- ish at 16 Cutts Ave. in Saco from 1929 to 2009. e building itself is older — originally built as a theater in the 19th century, the Portland Diocese bought it from the Second Baptist Church in 1929 to serve the growing French-speaking Catholic population in town, according to a diocese history. e sale to Hardypond closed last September. Hardypond has torn down the rec- tory, which adjoined the church, and will build larger modern additions on each side for a total of 80 units. All the units will be market-rate. Architect John Shields, who designed the plan for the church interior, has also P H O T O S / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N Church conversions Former church property offers unique development opportunities B Y M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N F O C U S © Blind Dog Photo Associates FLEXIBLE ENVIRONMENTS INSPIRE CREATIVITY AUBURN PORTLAND PORTSMOUTH BOSTON ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING PLANNING SUSTAINABLE DESIGN INTERIOR DESIGN www.harriman.com The former Notre Dame des Lourdes in Saco is being developed as market-rate apartments. The Motherhouse, which is being redeveloped as senior housing, is a former convent on Stevens Avenue in Portland.

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