After makeover, Brunswick lodging property is revived as a boutique hotel
Courtesy / The Federal
The Federal, the new boutique hotel in Brunswick, underwent a $3.5 million renovation.
The Federal, the new boutique hotel in Brunswick, features a $3.5 million renovation, an upscale restaurant that revives a former Portland favorite, and even possibly a ghost.
The hotel, previously known as the Captain Daniel Stone Inn at 10 Water St. in Brunswick, re-opened March 6 under a new name, ownership and management after a year of renovations.
By the end of April, the restaurant portion, called 555 North, will open and bring back the vibe of the former Five Fifty-Five restaurant in Portland that closed in 2020 after 17 years in business.
“People in and around Brunswick are very excited and vested in having this property returned to a hotel and restaurant. There was a huge following for that restaurant from before and we think it will be a draw for this area,” said Gerard Kiladjian, president of Portland-based Principal Hospitality, which manages the property.
The building was sold at bank foreclosure in Sept. 2020 for $1.6 million to Belle Point Holding LLC and has been closed for two years.
The hotel, the original part of which was built in 1810, features 30 rooms.
The new name of the hotel emerged from the building being originally built in the Federalist era, the architectural style that ran from about 1780 to 1840. As the owners referred to the oldest section of the building, they kept saying “the Federal” part and the name stuck, Kiladjian said.
The hotel was decorated and styled by Annie K Designs in Portland, which is owned by Kiladjian’s wife.
“It’s one thing to renovate a hotel. It’s another thing to have it styled and designed by someone with a real talent and eye for design. It makes something special,” Kiladjian, who said working with his wife on the project was a joy rather than a fight. “Not all spouses can say that.”
Close to Bowdoin and midcoast sites
Kiladjian expects to draw from people visiting nearby Bowdoin College, as well as local businesses and tourists visiting the midcoast.
“It’s strategically located for the midcoast area. You can reach Boothbay and Camden within an easy drive north and you have Portland to the south. There’s really not another boutique hotel in this area like this. We decided to go a little higher on renovation to turn this property into something special that would attract a boutique hotel user,” Kiladjian said.
The Federal is Portland-based Principal Hospitality’s first project, but Kiladjian has been in the hotel business for decades and was general manager of the Portland Harbor Hotel.
“We’re looking to grow and acquire more properties and repurpose them to add value to their markets,” Kiladjian said, who added that any new project would likely be about a year away.
Reviving 555
Meanwhile, 555 North will be its own draw for people, Kiladjian said.
The restaurant will have seating for 140 people and a private dining room. It will have a horseshoe-shaped bar, an open fireplace and “new New England” farm-to-table cuisine.
“The restaurant can hold larger groups, of say 10, 12, 14 people, which a lot of restaurants in this area can’t. There’s nothing like this in the market between Brunswick and Portland,” Kiladjian said.
555 North will revive the former restaurant with its white table cloths, copper accents and chalkboard with a favorite quote of the day or week, said Steve Corry, who, with his wife Michelle, owned the original Five Fifty-Five and is bringing 555 North to life. They still own the sister restaurant Petite Jacqueline in Portland.
“The plan is to make it as close as we can to the original with the decor, the cuisine, the music,” Corry said. “We think people will come from Portland and north of there. Falmouth, Yarmouth and Freeport. It’s a quick drive.”
Corry said he had looked casually at other locations in Scarborough when Kiladjian contacted him about the location at The Federal.
“We realize that in Brunswick, it can be a seasonal place along the coast. But we want to work with the local farms and fishermen and people who are the purveyors so they can be patrons, too. We want a relationship,” Corry said.
An added element that The Federal will boast is a hint of Captain Daniel Stone’s daughter, Narcissa Stone, a philanthropist and businesswoman who died in 1877.
“There’s always been talk about rumblings of her still lingering around,” Kiladjian said.
Kiladjian said he hasn’t heard any noises or seen any ghosts himself, but “you can never be sure.”
A picture of Stone is featured in the lobby and the hotel’s top suite is named after her.
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This is fantastic news!!
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