Rendering / Winter Holben
Another rendering of the building under construction at 3 Walker St. in Kittery's Foreside neighborhood.
Updated: September 5, 2024
Kittery architecture firm breaks ground on new HQ — and it includes affordable housing
Rendering / Courtesy, Winter Holben
Winter Holben, a Kittery-based architecture firm, broke ground on a downtown headquarters building that will include two units of affordable housing, a third-floor apartment and a shared rooftop deck.
Kittery architecture firm Winter Holben, has broken ground on a downtown headquarters building that will also add two units of affordable housing in one of Maine's priciest counties.
The mixed-use project, slated for completion in 2025, has a price tag of $2.5 million including the land purchase, according to founding principal Elisa Winter Holben. She started the firm in 2011 and was joined by her husband, Brandon Holben, in 2015.
They are investing more than $500,000 of their own money in the development at 3 Walker St., adjacent to the firm’s current office and Lil’s Café, near the entrance of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
The building will include two units of affordable housing as well as a third-floor market-rate apartment with views of the Piscataqua River and a shared rooftop deck. Across York County, the median home sales price rose to $530,000 in July, up 9.17% over a year earlier, according to the latest monthly data from Maine Listings.
“We strongly believe that carefully designed mixed-use buildings that provide housing as well as small businesses are key to maintaining a healthy and vibrant downtown,” Elisa Winter Holben said.
The seven-employee architecture firm is working with Bridgeside Building, of Portsmouth, N.H.. on the project. The building will incorporate wood and metal features inspired by the surrounding historic buildings and working waterfront.
"We would also like to highlight the affordable housing component to our project is the first in the downtown Kittery Foreside to take advantage of the statewide density incentive," Holben told Mainebiz.
In addition to the three planned residential units, Winter Holben's new base will house the firm's design staff along with a gallery and showroom to showcase the work of contemporary artists and designers.
The firm’s portfolio includes Kittery’s Foreside Inn, luxury condominiums on Badgers Island, the Rockport House Hotel and Secundo Maine, an Italian eatery in Berwick.
Winter Holben also recently completed several other large commercial projects and is aiming for more mixed-use, residential and hospitality projects in Maine and the surrounding seacoast.
Going forward, the firm aims to add more residential projects, from affordable housing to single-family and luxury rentals, while also expanding in hospitality and retail, she said. Hiring plans include expanding the interior design team.
"We continue to evolve as a firm and remain focused on providing exceptional design with a small team approach," Holben said.
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