East Brown Cow opens Docent's Collection sites on Middle Street in Portland

Photo / Courtesy, East Brown Cow The Docent's Collection is a group of rentals offered by East Brown Cow and the Commonwealth Collection.

Write a Comment

By Peter Van Allen

East Brown Cow and Commonwealth Hotels have opened new accommodations from the Docent’s Collection, a boutique hospitality product in Portland’s historic Old Port.

The expansion includes seven new lofts on the fourth floor of the Thompson Block, a historic building at 121 Middle St. The lofts are available for booking.

The Docent’s Collection, launched in 2019, is intended to combine "first-class hospitality of a hotel with the personalization of a luxury residence," East Brown Cow said.

“This expansion reinforces our success of rebranding the Docent’s Collection as a distinctive hospitality concept, one that showcases the vibrancy of the Old Port,” said Tim Soley, president and CEO of East Brown Cow.

“As we continue to invest in Portland’s urban fabric and aim to preserve its architectural history, we are eager to expand our breadth of offerings to contribute to the city’s continued growth and evolution.”

The lofts were converted from vacant Class B office space. Guests use a mobile check-in process and can customize the amount of interaction they have with the hospitality team.

The lofts are decorated with handmade furniture from Auburn-based Thos. Moser, oil paintings by Cape Elizabeth-based artist Cooper Dragonette and coffee from Portland-based Coffee by Design.

The Docent’s Collection grew from encompassing one building at the Thompson Block (121 Middle St.) to two buildings with the addition of two lofts on the upper floors of the neighboring 115 Middle St., known within the collection as the A. Robinson Block.

Plans call for further expansion along Middle Street, with construction underway at 178 Middle St. and 184 Middle St. — a total of 19 new units.

Consigli Construction's Portland office is managing construction.

About the team

Commonwealth Hotels LLC was founded in 1986 and is a proven partner in providing hotel management services with superior financial results. The company has extensive experience managing premium branded full-service and select-service hotels. Commonwealth Hotels currently manages 51 properties with nearly 7,600 rooms. Additional information may be found at www.commonwealthhotels.com.

East Brown Cow and its affiliates comprise a real estate management, investment, and development firm based in the historic Old Port district of Portland, Maine. Since its establishment over 30 years ago, East Brown Cow’s portfolio has grown to more than 20 assets in the greater Portland area, including over 1 million square feet of mixed-use office, retail, garage, and hospitality assets. The company seeks to create meaningful connections to the surrounding urban fabric through high-quality design and the carefully curated use of its properties while also providing first-class management services to its tenants. All acquisitions and developments are grounded in the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship, excellence in design and historic preservation, and the activation of publicly accessible spaces as well as the exploration of new technologies. East Brown Cow strives to push the limits of what is done conventionally in the field of urban real estate. For more information, visit www.eastbrowncow.com.