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When Merrill Bank purchased the former Penobscot Theatre building at 183 Main Street, next door to its downtown office, in 2004, it was uncertain what would happen to the old building. “It was in pretty bad shape,” says Bangor economic development officer Sally Bates.
Not any more. Originally designed by celebrated Bangor architect Wilfred Mansur (1855–1921), the vestry building has now been restored to a new kind of glory, thanks to a SWOT team that included Merrill Bank execs, WBRC Architects and Engineers, Bangor House Revivers, and city officials
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Many longtime area residents remember attending plays when the building was used as a theater. The Penobscot Theatre Company leased the building from the church next door for many years. In 1986, the theater raised $160,000 to purchase and partially renovate the building. But in 1997, the theater acquired the Bangor Opera House, at 131 Main Street, and moved all performances and operations there. In 2004, the theater approached Merrill Bank about buying the old vestry building.
“The stage used to be right about here, I think,” says Christopher Winstead, assistant branch manager. He strolls across a section of hardwood floor through a space that looks more like an art gallery than a financial institution, now home to the bank’s mortgage, trust, and accounting departments. Paintings on the wall and the skylight effect of the vaulted wood ceiling, supported by heavy wooden trusses and beams, add to the impression of openness.
The paintings are on loan from the Bangor Museum and Center for History while the museum raises money for its projected expansion. Starting here, starting now, the bank hopes to exhibit local art in the airy new addition on a regular basis, says Jane Madigan, the bank’s marketing director and a central figure in the project.
As with any successful historic renovation, the goal in reinventing the Mansur building was to keep as much of the old as is possible. “They took some of the original outside windows and used them on the inside, to bring more light into the offices,” Winstead points out. The building’s new outdoor windows are more efficient replicas of the old: The noises off the busy street outside can barely be heard through them.
Before buying the building, Merrill Bank’s senior officers contacted the city of Bangor’s Department of Community and Economic Development, Madigan says. The city encouraged the bank to undertake the rehabilitation project, agreeing to provide tax increment financing for 20 years. The bank also received a Federal Historic Tax Credit because of the building’s historic nature.
Yet it was no low-cost solution—in taking on the $1.6 million project, Merrill Bank essentially became the servant of two masters: meeting its own needs while becoming a working advocate for downtown revitalization. It took both ingenuity and patience. Excavation of the existing basement was a slow process, requiring hand picks and shovels until the space was large enough to accommodate machinery. The bank also worked with the city to secure additional parking across the street for the 30 new staffers who will ultimately occupy the new complex.
The project was a collaborative effort among a number of miracle workers, including R. Michael Pullen, historic preservation architect and principal at WBRC Architects and Engineers. Bob Kelly, owner of House Revivers, and an advisor to Bangor’s Historic Preservation Commission, was the contractor for the renovations to the old vestry/theater building. The three-story connecting building was contracted by Perry and Morrill Construction of Bangor.
“The owner, architect, and builder worked together throughout the design process,” Pullen says. “That is why the project was so successful.”
Madigan and her colleagues at Merrill Bank are understandably proud of their new-yet-old digs. “The renovation project is a splendid model for others to study,” Madigan says. “A decrepit and functionally obsolete historic property has been transformed into state-of-the-art office space, setting an example of how major challenges can become major building assets.”
“Merrill Bank could have created additional office space by adding on to its existing building at a lot less expense,” says Sally Bates. “Instead, they chose a path that has had a very significant, positive impact on downtown Bangor.”
The construction and restoration project took top honors as Outstanding Building Renovation Project at the Maine Downtown Center’s sixth annual conference held in October 2006.
“The building has great historical significance to the area,” Madigan says. “We needed additional office space. The two needs came together.”
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