Orono Lofts will be a three-story, 40,000-square-foot building at 74 Mill St. The building was originally constructed in the 1800s as a church before being converted for Byers Manufacturing.
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Bangor-based High Tide Capital is turning a centuries-old former factory building in Orono into a 30-unit apartment building, a block from the city’s downtown.
The developer focuses on adaptive reuse of historic buildings, often in smaller cities and towns, and has completed 100 units of new housing over the past three years, partner Dash Davidson told Mainebiz.
Orono Lofts is a three-story, 40,000-square-foot building at 74 Mill St. The building was originally constructed in the 1800s as a church before being converted for Byers Manufacturing. High Tide purchased it in 2023 for $650,000 and Davidson projects the final cost for the rehab will be $9 million.
Bangor-based Pike Project Development is the contractor.
High Tide has completed four projects in Bangor, including 27 State St., a six-story building developed for Northern Light Hospital in 2023. All 20 apartments are furnished and priority is given to short-term medical staff, such as visiting nurses.Â
Also in downtown Bangor, High Tide rehabbed 2 Hammond St., which now houses the chamber of commerce and a “speakeasy” in the basement.Â
In Skowhegan, the firm has developed a boutique hotel in the 80,000-square-foot historic Spinning Mill. Forty-one apartments are being added, and the Biergarten, run by nearby Maine Grains and the Miller’s Table, has just opened.
Construction news from around the state
- Scarborough-based Landry/French Construction is in the midst of a multi-phase redevelopment of Ogunquit’s municipal campus on School Street — a four-story 20,000-square-foot building that combines headquarters for police and town offices. The $9 million project is targeted for completion in November. The design team includes Portland-based Port City Architects and VHB civil engineers, with offices in South Portland, Augusta and Westbrook. Kennebunk-based Brex Corp. handled site work.
 - Wright-Ryan Construction is the manager for Witham Family Hotels’ 83-suite extended-stay hotel, Home2 Suites by Hilton in Ellsworth. Design was handled by Baird Architects, which has an office in Northeast Harbor. The project follows multi-phased upgrades to the Bar Harbor Inn. In Seal Harbor, Wright-Ryan is managing work at the Land & Garden Preserve.
 - The Old Orchard Beach oceanside motel previously known as the Carolina Resort Motel, has undergone a top to bottom renovation and reopened as the Voyager Motel. Potentia LLC bought the 34-room, 12,000-square-foot property for $3.7 million two years ago. The rehab team included Centurion Property Management, based in Biddeford, Scarborough-based Ducas Construction and Archetype Architects, of Portland.
 - Nine market-rate condominiums are under construction at 19 West St. in Portland, where a century-old, 11,354-square-foot carriage house is being repurposed. Developers Tim Hebert, Jack Soley and Ali Malone purchased the property in 2023, and expect the units to be finished this fall. Lewiston-based Hebert Construction is handling the build and Archetype Architects, based in Portland, has done the design.