A historic former inn on a pricey peninsula just off Mount Desert Island has hit the market for $2.75 million.
The 7-bedroom, 7-bathroom home in Winter Harbor’s Grindstone Neck neighborhood is one of the original shingle cottages built on the peninsula in 1890. It was designed by prominent Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre, who was nationally reputed for building the classic shingle-style homes popular in New England architecture.
“This is a chance for someone to purchase a bit of history, along with the rich craftsmanship and architecture that era represented,” listing agent Scott McFarland said.
Its original owner was Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist Charles Whelen, who built the home in a period where Mount Desert Island and the areas around it were still taking off as massive tourism destinations attracting many of the country’s wealthiest families.
The property, which sits on a 2.7-acre lot and offers 5,000 square feet of living space, is a single-family home called “Harbor Hill.” But it was run as an inn until 1987, McFarland, a real estate agent with LandVest/Christie’s International Real Estate, said.
The home still has many vestiges of that phase, including an industrial kitchen, large dining room and many bedrooms and bathrooms, but McFarland said that due to recent zoning changes it’s unlikely to be run as a commercial venture but is perfect for entertaining guests.
The home’s interior spaces are elegant, offer harbor views and include dark cypress wood paneling, coffered beam ceilings, marble sinks and original brick or granite fireplaces. Other attractive features of the property include a stately porte-cochere, sunroom and several decks offering views of Frenchman Bay and the island mountains.
“You just don’t have the craftsmanship now like you did in those days,” McFarland said. “It’s striking. It takes you right back to that era. I just can’t imagine what it would cost to replicate that kind of craftsmanship today.”
If a home of such intricate design were to be built today, it would likely cost millions more, given today’s high construction and labor costs. The property was only listed last week, but it’s already attracted some attention, the agent said. The Grindstone Neck neighborhood is one of generational homes. While they have turned over more in the past couple of decades, McFarland said this small peninsula is still a desirable community.
It’s attractive now for the same reason it was deemed an “ideal place to establish a new summer resort” back in 1890 by the investors who built this neighborhood: its proximity to Bar Harbor, as well as the Schoodic Peninsula section of Acadia National Park.
Today, homebuyers can count a yacht club, golf course, swim club, tennis courts and woodland paths among the perks of living on this peninsula. The home is about 90 minutes from Bangor’s international airport, but is only 30 from the smaller Trenton airport.
“Though it’s not right on the water, it’s really an area in Winter Harbor that a lot of people want to live,” McFarland said.
