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Updated: April 18, 2025

$5.9M conversion of historic Bethel home into workforce rentals wrapping up

A brown-sided house has white trim. Photo / Courtesy Northern Forest Center A project is wrapping up to turn a 19th-century Bethel home into nine units of rental apartments for middle-income, full-time residents.
By Laurie Schreiber

A project is wrapping up to turn a 19th-century Bethel home into nine units of rental apartments for middle-income, full-time residents.

“This project creates more quality, long-term rentals in Bethel,” said Amy Scott, program manager for the Northern Forest Center, the project’s developer. “We’re specifically creating apartments for primary residences — not the second-home market, nor for short-term rentals.”

Lease applications are open and the goal is to have the first tenants move in starting mid-May. Full-time residency is required. 

The center is opening the building for tours on April 24, from 9-11 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m., and on April 26, from 9-11 a.m.     

For more information, click here.

Historic rehab

The 10,000-square-foot, three-story Gehring House, on 10 acres at 77 Broad St., was built in 1896 for Dr. John George Gehring and Marion True Gehring. John Gehring had his clinic there. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The center bought the dilapidated building at the end of 2022 and said it would complete renovations this month. 

A wood floored-hallway leads to a door.
Photo / Courtesy Northern Forest Center
The conversion included restoring as much original wood as possible and adding new wood products such as insulation made of wood fiber from TimberHP in Madison.

The project was designed to comply with federal standards for historic rehabilitation. The building is considered one of the most architecturally and historically significant buildings in the Oxford County town.

The Northern Forest Center is an innovation and investment partner founded in 1997 and serving the Northern Forest of northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. The center has a business office in Concord, N.H., and Maine field staff in Millinocket, Bethel and South Portland.

Since 2005, the center has secured and leveraged $260 million to benefit communities, the economy and forest stewardship, according to its 2024 report.

Since 2018, that’s included investing in property redevelopment to contribute to downtown revitalization and the attraction and retention of area workers and families.

Scott noted that the center is paying full property taxes, even though it’s not required to as a nonprofit.

Wood fiber insulation

The nine apartments are on three levels and include one studio, six 1-bedroom and two 2-bedroom units, each with one full bathroom. 

The apartments include historic woodwork, refinished original wood flooring, modern kitchen amenities, restored windows and updated building systems throughout. Many apartments have historic fireplaces, though they are non-operable. 

The center paid $1.85 million to buy the 10-acre parcel and the structure, which had been empty since 2009, and $4 million to redevelop the property.  

Woodhull, a Portland-based contractor, managed the renovation. 

Scott said the center made it a priority to use as much wood as possible in the project, restoring as much of the original wood as possible and adding new wood products such as insulation made of wood fiber from TimberHP in Madison. 

The building uses wood pellet boilers and wood pellets from Maine Energy Systems in Bethel and nearly all the new lumber and pine siding is from Hancock Lumber.

The reclaimed floors and locally sourced wood alone will store almost 18 tons of carbon dioxide — equivalent to offsetting the emissions from 1,800 gallons of gasoline burned — for the lifespan of the building, according to a news release.

 Woodhull Construction served as general contractor and hired numerous local contractors and tradespeople.  

Low-interest investments

The center funded the project using its Northern Forest Fund, comprised of low-interest investments from people who forgo higher returns to invest in community revitalization, and charitable contributions from private foundations and individuals, and historic tax credits. The Betterment Fund and the William Bingham Foundation, which both originated with philanthropists from Bethel, were among the lead supporters of the project. The project did not receive federal housing subsidies. 

The redevelopment is part of the center’s community revitalization work in western Maine and is one of several housing development initiatives underway.

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