Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 1 7 a decade, completing over $200 million in real estate projects, including several hotels, the Baker Newman Noyes building at 280 Fore St., and the U.S. headquarters for the Council on International Educational Exchange Inc., at 300 Fore St. "I'm proud of those projects, even though I didn't do them on my own, I did them leading the devel- opment team," Brady says. In 2008 the family moved to Bologna, Italy, where Brady oversaw an historic rehabilitation of the Hotel Excelsior Venice and the Grande Hotel des Bains. e project ran into some fi nan- cial obstacles but nothing like the public resistance against the 58 Fore St. project he would later face in Portland. e family moved back to Maine in 2011, fi rst Yarmouth and then Portland last year. Brady, who has always loved Portland's connec- tion to the ocean, relishes its historic buildings like the old Press Herald headquarters that he turned into a press-themed showpiece with its artful wall display of typewriters near the lobby, vintage-style writing desks in every room, and cocktail tables emblazoned with historic headlines and news stories. e VIA Agency, where Julia Brady works, helped create the hotel's branding. " ey really helped us think through utilizing the history of the building as the way to tell the story, and that's what newspapers and the media do," he says. Various names were considered, includ- ing e Fourth Estate, and he fi nds it amusing when people call him "the Press Herald guy." Bullish on Biddeford Inspired by new investments in Biddeford, Brady recently bought a former courthouse and post offi ce building that he's converting into offi ce space. " is is a very small project, but I wanted to dip my toe in the market and learn about opportuni- ties that would exist in the general market between Biddeford and Saco," he says. "I am also doing this because it's a really unique asset," a masonry brick and limestone building that "needed somebody to save it." He hopes to be done by next summer. "I'm not convinced that it'll be the best fi nancial transaction that I've ever done, but I thought it was something that would be really interesting and a beautiful building, and I'm hoping to really bring back its glory." e move comes amid a fl urry of downtown development activity, in an urban revival city offi - cials often call a 'Biddesance.' "Jim Brady's investment in the old courthouse, in the city's downtown, is another example of an individual who believes in Biddeford's future and who recognizes that the excitement and potential in this community is not only real, but also poised for remarkable, sustainable and creative growth," says Biddeford Mayor Alan M. Casavant. Brady is also in preliminary talks about build- ing a hotel on Saco Island but doesn't see Fathom "growing too quickly too far afi eld. We want to continue to stay focused on our core asset, which is the Press Hotel." R C , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e reached at @ . and @

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