ReaL estate 36 P o R t L a n d monthly mAgA Ine CourteSy the SwAn AgenCy SotheBy S InternAtIonAl reAlty PhotoS By mIke PerlmAn A Savage Crescendo W aves carry music and mem- ory. Harold Randolph was just 29 years old when he com- missioned architect Fred Savage to design Northeast Harbor’s “Fermata,” which de- notes a break in a piece of music. Virtuo- so pianist Randolph was a master of such dramatic silences. On December 20, 1902, he swept the audience away at Boston Sym- phony with his rendition of Tschaikowsky’s Pianoforte Concerto No. 1, in B-flat minor. Imagine being there: “Have you seen his ‘Fermata’ in Maine?” a concertgoer whispers. “I haven’t just seen it,” her friend replies behind her fan. “I’ve had the tour.” ConteMPLate CeLeBRate Now you can, too. Fermata is on the mar- ket for $4.3M. The mansion is quiet as you approach it from the street. But when visi- tors enter 65 Harborside Road for a social this 1890 northeast harbor cotta e st ns ith the art o cloak and reveal. By CoLin . saRgent gathering, the music gathers and booms on the shore. “The understated exterior presentation doesn’t ‘tip the hat’ to what lies beyond the front door,” says local architect Gregory Scott. “The use of the jerkin-head dormer further diminishes the apparent height and pretense of a large cottage beyond.” It also keeps the house neatly tucked in, safe from the harbor’s high winds. T alk about prelude to a thrill. “The strategy of ‘cover and reveal’ is what we refer to as ‘compression and ex- pansion.’ It’s an old design technique–the ceiling height expands by either stepping down several risers or raising the ceiling several feet,” Scott says. “Fermata does the former very successfully—stepping down into the space… providing clarity and un- obstructed views to the harbor beyond”