Developer seeks community input for future of historic Bath building
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31 Centre St. in downtown Bath, recently acquired by Sean Ireland of Windward Development, will be redeveloped with community input.
The Grant Building in downtown Bath was a big part of the community for the better part of a century, and developer Sean Ireland is hoping to bring it back, with the community's help.
Ireland, of Windward Development, is looking for input as he develops the 25,000-square-foot building, one of the final ones in the 18-building Sagadahock Real Estate Association downtown portfolio to be sold.
Redevelopment of the building that began life as a department store and was most recently an indoor park will require a variety of partners, Ireland said.
“This kind of project has a long runway," he said in a news release. "One of the challenges is how do you get a large project like this ‘off the ground’ — it takes a lot of due diligence and persistence and some creativity."
Ireland is a founder of Union + Co., a coworking, art and innovation space at 48 Front St., as well as of Bath Brewing Co. He's also developer of the Harvey Block/Morris Povich Building and the Medanick Building, both named Maine Preservation Honor Award winners in November.
He said that projects like 31 Centre always start with the acquisition — it's the fourth building in three years he's bought from Sagadahock Real Estate Association, owned by the Morse family.
"John Morse has been great to work with," Ireland said. "He understands that it takes time and he’s always fair and reasonable and his approach gives a project ‘lift.’"
Morse is enthusiastic about the project.
“This is an important piece of the downtown puzzle," he said. "It needs someone with vision and energy. It’s not a traditional retail space like much of downtown, so the project is going to need some creative thinking. Sean’s demonstrated a willingness and ability to find the balance of maintaining what works but also thinking outside the box, when appropriate.”
Ireland said the initial interest and commitment of support has been interesting. "In the end, it’s going to take a 'village' of partners coming together to make this happen," he said. Besides Morse, he has been working with the city, Midcoast Economic Development District, Coastal Enterprises Inc., the Genesis Fund, Gorham Savings Bank and other economic and community development investors, looking for input and support for the project.
31 Centre 'possibilities are many'
The building most recently was an "indoor park" for city residents to escape the cold and still space out over the past winter, sponsored by Bath Iron Works. That project won an innovation award from the Maine Development Foundation..
The building began as retail, though, opening in 1936 at the site of Bath's first city hall. When the new one was built on Front Street in 1929, W.T. Grant Co. built the art deco store, an anchor of downtown and one of several department stores in the city at the time. Downtown was bustling then, with a Sears and Roebuck, the Opera House, J.J. Newbury’s, First National Grocery Store and several other large businesses.
BIW had offices at 31 Centre St. in the 1970s through the '90s, and then, in the 2000s, it became R.M. Tate's, a retail salvage store. That closed in 2015, although the business reopened in 2018 at 6 Baybridge Road in Brunswick.
The four-story building has a 7,148-square-foot basement, a 6,892-square-foot first floor, and 2,641 and 3,572 square feet on the third and fourth floors, respectively.
The possibilities for the building are many, said Mandy Reynolds, a real estate broker and leasing agent, who partnered on Union + Co. and is also part of the 31 Centre St. project. "The key to a project like this is to remain open to any and all ideas," Reynolds said.
She said Ireland's projects have deep roots in economic and community development. "They create opportunities for growth for business owners that translate to more people using downtown as a place where they live, work, shop and play," Reynolds said. "His approach of treating tenants as partners in the redevelopment process is unique and creates opportunities that aren’t available under a more traditional landlord/tenant structure."
The ultimate goal is a vibrant mixed-use project "that will put its stamp on the southern midcoast region and the greater state of Maine," Reynolds said.
Ireland said that people shouldn't expect development of the building to happen quickly. “This is going to take more time than everyone wants," he said. "Financing, construction costs, locating local trades, extensive planning and permitting with local, state and federal agencies, a busy location, and finding users are just some of the time intensive functions. It’s really important that we get this right — for downtown Bath."
This summer, the building will be open for popup use, as well as the Grant Lot Summer Music Series. Ireland said when construction begins in September, there may be a live camera feed so the community can follow the progress. He said he expects to be onsite and help manage the project.
John Egan, formerly of CEI and now at Genesis Fund, said the project is an exciting one for downtown Bath. "Sean has a method that produces successful and sustainable projects while at the same time creating value for current and prospective residents and businesses all the way up and down the economic chain — it’s a difficult and rare balance to find but one that should be replicated, whenever possible.”
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