BETHEL — Three Maine preservationists were in Bethel in November visiting two historical society homes on Broad Street, as well as the Gehring Mansion at the end of Broad Street, a Grange Hall in West Bethel and Clare McDermott’s Albany homestead. They also met with Jessie Perkins at the Chamber of Commerce and with Lloyd Sweetser at the Town Office.
The non-profit group led by director, Tara Kelly, who came with Brad Miller, preservation manager, and Jonathan Hall, field services manager, said they feel they their group has a strong presence along the coast of Maine and less so in southern and western Maine. Hall said they chose Bethel as a starting point for this area. “We expected to find some development pressure … more seasonal homes and vacation rentals are a tough issue in some areas. We found that as far as the historic core of Bethel, it’s not much of an issue.”
“Along the coast you find people buying historic homes and tearing them down or altering them drastically … there’s a whole new group of wealthy people buying property and knocking down these iconic properties.
It doesn’t seem like it’s happening a whole lot or at least not yet in Bethel. Although there are certain places like the Bisbee School, the Gehring Mansion and Odeon Hall (town office).”
Odeon Hall projection room on the third floor of the Town Office building. Rose Lincoln, Bethel Citizen
View from the third floor at Odeon Hall above the Town Office. Rose Lincoln, Bethel Citizen
Referring to the underutilized auditorium/opera house upstairs in Odeon Hall, he said there are significant barriers like code issues (there’s no elevator), a lack of parking and energy efficiency updates. “That’s happening in historic buildings all over the state … It’s overwhelming for some of the smaller communities.”
“With the building owned by the municipal government it’s a little difficult, they are not eligible for a lot of grants. They could go for a CDBG (Community Development Block Grants). Another option is to negotiate a long-term lease with a non-profit, who would then pursue grants,” said Hall.
Of the Gehring Mansion at the far end of Broad Street, Hall said, “It is a beautiful place. The grounds are amazing. You can’t force anyone to do anything with the property that they don’t want to do. Often it’s a family dispute.”
The Gehring Mansion on Broad Street. Rose Lincoln, Bethel Citizen
The Gehring home built in 1896, later became The National Training Laboratory where social and behavioral sciences were studied. It has been in disrepair for several years. The current owner is listed as Kennebec Land Co., 10 Water Street, #68, Waterville, ME. Paul Boghossian III, is listed as the Registration Agent.
“I’ve repaired buildings that are ‘beyond repair’ many times. But, there’s almost no such thing as a building that’s beyond repair,” Hall said of both the Gehring Mansion and the Bisbee School on Chapman Street. The fate of the Bisbee School is unclear; demolition RFP’s are currently being solicited by town officials.
Regarding their day touring Bethel, Hall said, “It was a fresh start, to meet some new people It was encouraging to see young people who came out and wanted to meet. That’s always encouraging.”
Next, the Maine Preservation representatives will build on their introductions with follow up emails and calls. They are considering visiting other nearby towns. Rangeley, Bridgton, Fryeburg and Kingfield are in the list.
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