Courtesy / Sarah Szwajkos, Damn Rabbit Studios
The Norumbega, originally built as a private home, is near Penobscot Bay.
Updated: July 4, 2022
NYC architect buys castle-like Camden inn
Courtesy / Sarah Szwajkos, Damn Rabbit Studios
An architect and designer from New York City bought a turreted stone-built inn that dates back to 1886.
An architect and designer from New York City bought a turreted stone-built Camden inn that dates back to 1886.
“It’s definitely an eye-catcher,” said William Tims.
Tims bought the Norumbega Inn, at 63 High St. in Camden, for an undisclosed price.
Dana Moos of Swan Agency Real Estate brokered the deal. The property listed for $3.5 million.
The seller was Susan Walser, who had owned the Norumbega since 2013 and felt it was the right time to sell, said Moos.
The property was listed in September 2019. The pandemic slowed queries, but it was decided not to pull it from the market regardless of inactivity. Queries picked up in 2021 and the seller received a couple of offers before the sale to Tims, said Moos.
The inn has some outstanding architectural features, she noted.
“The woodwork is stunning — probably a dozen different types each of carved moldings, various inlaid flooring,” among other features, Moos said.
There’s a huge fireplace in the formal dining room. The inn is five stories — four above grade and one lower level with balconies off the back lower-level guest rooms. The exterior is all brick, stone and cedar shingle. The porte cochere is a noteworthy feature. There is a regulation Bocce court.
Castle by the sea
The inn was built as a home for Joseph Barker Stearns, a native Mainer who left to seek his fortunes in Boston, according to the business’s website.
“After many failures, he revolutionized the fire alarm system with his patented reverses currents, then focused on the telegraph, eventually leading to his inventions of the double telegraph,” the website says.
He sold the rights to Western Union, traveled the world, then set about to build “his own castle by the sea.”
Courtesy / Sarah Szwajkos, Damn Rabbit Studios
Features included leaded windows and original woodwork.
Declaring Camden “the most beautiful place in the world,” he hired New York architect G.B. Jennings “and spared no expense to furnish it with the new electric light and steam heat.”
The house remained a private home for the next century and was eventually turned into the Norumbega Inn.
Features include original wooden millwork, many fireplaces, a turret, an enclosed porch, leaded glass windows, a large wood entry, quarter sawn oak coffered wood ceilings, paneled walls, inlaid flooring, carved banisters, fireplace details, and curved walls and windows.
There are common areas, a sprawling lawn, two gazebos and a fire pit. Many guest rooms have private decks; some rooms have water views.
The living area totals 7,173 square feet; with decks and porches, the inn is 10,102 square feet. It occupies 3.95 acres.
In-season room rates range from $320 to $600 per night.
High-end designer
“We could not be more excited to have purchased the Norumbega,” said Tims. “The previous owners did a wonderful job bringing the inn back to life, and we intend to build on their success while preserving and improving what everyone loves about the Norumbega — its design, ornate craftsmanship, and personable service.”
Courtesy / Sarah Szwajkos, Damn Rabbit Studios
A large entry includes coffered wood ceilings, paneled walls and carved banisters.
Tims is an architect and designer who has spent the last 25 years in New York City designing high-end residences, marketing and selling new development condominiums, and design-directing the development of two new hotels for Tishman Hotel Corp.
His partner, Brett Haynie, left the fashion industry at the onset of the pandemic and is pursuing a career as an operatic tenor. Haynie is helping Tims operate the inn through this season and will likely be involved part-time going forward in order to pursue an opera career, said Tims.
The two are living in the Norumbega’s owner’s apartment this season in order to “get to know the house and its eccentricities, while also getting a better understanding of our guests and their needs/preferences,” he said.
Choosing the right spot
Tims visited Camden for the first time as a teenager.
“We liked it so much as a family that we came back several times,” he said.
During the pandemic, he was rethinking his career in New York. He decided the time was right to combine his design experience and his love of hospitality. He was familiar with New York’s Hudson Valley region and began looking for an inn to buy there. But the region was saturated with other folks with the same idea, he said.
Courtesy / Sarah Szwajkos, Damn Rabbit Studios
The turret offers rounded rooms.
“I was feeling like I wanted to go someplace further afield,” he said.
He recalled his love of Maine and arrived for a long weekend in February, first visiting an inn in southern Maine, then the Norumbega.
“It was really amazing,” he said of the latter. “Even though we’d been to Camden many times, I’d never been to the Norumbega. The first night we stayed, we were the only people in the house. It just felt right.”
They looked at several more inns after that.
“But the Norumbega was the one,” he said.
For this season, minor modifications were on tap to enhance guest experience.
During the off-season and before next summer, he said, the plan is to implement comprehensive design improvements throughout the property.
Interior renovations will include new décor, new bathrooms and new air conditioning. Tims didn’t have an estimate for the investment for renovations. Kennebunk Savings Bank provided financing for the purchase and renovation.
“Right now the house is very formal,” he said. “I’ll try to make it feel a little more casual and comfortable, more of a place where you want to hang out and visit with your family and friends.”
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Anonymous
May 30, 2023
Oh. Wasn't the Inn's elegance the big draw? Suddenly that becomes a turn-off? Why not have simply purchased a motel. I may wear worn flannel shirts, but I could easily "hang out" at the Inn, without feeling other than joyous at being there, before any condescension was made, and would be happy to have the opportunity to dress more GQ.
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