{"id":14937,"date":"2018-05-07T18:02:36","date_gmt":"2018-05-07T22:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=14937"},"modified":"2020-09-29T09:54:55","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T13:54:55","slug":"at-the-top-of-the-market-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/at-the-top-of-the-market-2\/","title":{"rendered":"At the Top of the Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feb\/March 2017 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Unleash your fantasies<\/strong> with these properties for sale, and meet the dreamers<\/strong> who built them.<\/span><\/h3>\n

By Colin W. Sargent<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Boldwater\"Northerly Paradise<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Experience Brooklin<\/strong> at its most cinematic<\/strong>, with Maine your Pitcairn Island. <\/span><\/h3>\n

By Colin W. Sargent<\/span><\/p>\n

This time of year, North Brooklin braces for razor cold and icy gusts across Blue Hill Bay. But once in a while we can be surprised by a sweet tropical breeze wafting gently through the pines.
\nIn Technicolor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, in a happily-ever-after plot twist worthy of Hollywood, one of the exotic Tahitian actresses in MGM\u2019s 1962 smash hit Mutiny on the Bounty<\/em> wound up spending the last four decades here. Louise Murfey, nee Tefaafana, was hiding in plain sight in \u201dBoldwater<\/strong>,” the house she and her husband built in 1980 at the shore’s edge.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Young Louise Tefaafana<\/strong> fell in love with tall, dashing Spencer L. Murfey Jr. \u201cwhen he raced to Tahiti on a sailboat in the early 1960s,” says Prin Allen, 86, the contractor who built Boldwater for the Murfeys in 1980. <\/span><\/p>\n

Louise had just begun dating the millionaire ocean racer and philanthropist when she was asked to join the cast of Mutiny On The Bounty<\/em> as the love interest for Richard Harris.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harris was one of the mutineers. I was the girl kissing him on the beach,\u201d she says in her musical voice, her English warmed by tones of Polynesian and French, Tahiti\u2019s official language. \u201cI am also the girl in the sinking boat, crying out.\u201d Onscreen, Harris is all over her, but between takes, “Richard was a gentleman,\u201d she says. <\/span><\/p>\n

Trevor Howard, who played Captain Bligh, may have been hard on his crew, to say the least. \u201cBut with us, he was fun!\u201d When Captain Bligh sacrificed his dignity to please Tahitian royalty during a ceremony, \u201cHe danced like a monkey!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The movie was a triumph for brooding Marlon Brando<\/strong> and significant for his romantic life as well. Just as Spencer Murfey, 34, was swept away by Louise, Brando fell in love with Louise\u2019s castmember Tarita Teriipaia, who played opposite him in the movie. The friendship between the two couples deepened. \u201cHe was very nice. Very kind,\u201d Louise says of Brando. \u201cWe were good friends.\u201d When Louise and Tarita were chosen as two of three Mutiny<\/em> actresses asked to come to Hollywood for voiceovers, editing, and polishing, \u201cWe saw Brando a lot there, too.\u201d In so many ways, it was a wrap.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brando and Teriipaia\u2019s marriage hit the rocks in 1972. Louise and Spencer are the lucky ones. Their marriage lasted until Spencer died at 75 in 2003.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Maine Adventure<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cThe first time I ever saw Maine was in 1975,\u201d Louise says. \u201cMy husband loved sailing in a Hinckley, and we came to Maine for that.\u201d Since he adored racing Hinckley yachts, these waters were the center of the universe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once in Brooklin, Spencer, the world traveler, cattle rancher, and board member at Corning Advisors, couldn\u2019t resist stopping in to see his great aunt, who lived in a white Cape Cod barely 75 feet from the reach of the waves. Built around 1900, the place was already nicknamed \u201cBoldwater.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The luscious environs and stunning views of Long Island with the peaks of Acadia National Park in the distance were magnetic for the Murfeys. When Spencer’s great aunt passed away, they bought Boldwater from her estate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost Shaker-simple, the trim white cape was moved from its oceanfront perch to the entrance of the 38.6-acre tract. From that day forward, it\u2019s been called instead, \u201cThe Gatehouse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, with a Blue Hill architect, Spencer and Louise dreamed up the new Boldwater that stands today as the property for sale.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tahiti is one kind of paradise. Boldwater is another. Built in 1980, this 14,375-square-foot, six-bedroom luxury retreat has \u201c10 fireplaces, hand-painted murals, paneled library, generous windows, and attached solarium” where Tahiti bloomed under glass year-round. The listing sheet ticks off the \u201cGuest Cottage, Gatehouse, oceanfront pool with pool house, apple orchard, enormous greenhouse, and dock.\u201d There are five full baths, three half baths.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blue Hill may not be a major metropolitan market, but you have to wonder: Did community theatre directors ever shyly approach Louise and ask her to appear in one of their productions like Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon<\/em> or The Fantasticks<\/em>?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d She laughs. \u201cMy husband thought \u2018the movies\u2019 just meant a bunch of crazy people. He swept me away just as I got started, and that’s that.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Besides, in Brooklin, the ocean is the show. Did Louise like yachting?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. That was all my husband’s thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, she was intrigued by Maine against the sea.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you see where the swimming pool is, with the landscaping\u201d that slopes down to the water? It\u2019s almost grotto-like. <\/span><\/p>\n

Indoors, \u201cI love the kitchen,\u201d Louise says. When hosting family shindigs, her star is \u201cLobster. For some parties, friends would come from California.\u201d<\/p>\n

“My favorite place is the sauna” in the master bedroom that looks over the water. You can see forever. <\/span><\/p>\n

Louise and Spencer lived at Boldwater year-round, for roughly \u201c15 years,\u201d Prin Allen says. In 2003, she and Spencer moved to spend winters together in Palm Beach, but he passed away. <\/span>\u201cI was last in Maine in November,\u201d she says. <\/span>Lately, she\u2019s been up here largely during the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

D<\/span>id Louise ever visit the Bounty<\/em> after 1962? Fate brought the ship here, too, as she often visited Maine and was here for repairs just before sailing down the Eastern Seaboard toward her doom. [See our story: \u201cMutiny on the Bounty<\/em>,\u201d April 2013.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot in Maine,” Louise says. “But in the year 2000, the Bounty<\/em> was in Australia, and my husband and I saw her. We were cruising on an ocean liner to spend New Year\u2019s at sea. We started out of Paris [she pronounces it \u00e0 la fran\u00e7aise<\/em>] and went across the world to all kinds of places\u2026Australia, Indonesia, finally to\u2026Tahiti.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lady in the White Cape<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Brooklin isn\u2019t just famous for its boating. It\u2019s famous for early 20th-century writers such as E.B. White and Boldwater’s first noted owner\/resident, Anne D. Kyle<\/strong>, who spent her winters in Palm Beach and her summers in the little white cape that was moved from its perch overlooking the sea to became known as The Gatehouse. She did exceptional work at Boldwater. <\/span><\/p>\n

Who was the mysterious Anne D. Kyle? She was a Newbery Honor-winning author.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1938, as a member of Brooklin\u2019s summer colony, Miss Anne D. Kyle (Smith College, ’18), she found her voice here. <\/span><\/p>\n

Just as the September 1938 hurricane swept in, her new novel Red Sky Over Rome<\/em> (Houghton Mifflin, Boston) hit the bookstores. Set in 1849, with the vivid background of Garibaldi fighting to make Italy a republic, the story revolves around a young American expat girl, Cherry Carstairs. She befriends Grazia, her landlady\u2019s niece, who has \u201ca twin brother who joins up with Garibaldi\u2019s army,\u201d according to Kirkus Reviews<\/em>. \u201cThe three young people are in the midst of revolutionary activities, and the situations in which they find themselves make exciting reading, full of color of the Italian countryside. A thread of mystery runs through the story\u2013the confiscated villa, the lost opera.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The review goes on to praise Kyle\u2019s \u201cgift of storytelling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another of Kyle\u2019s Italian tales is The Apprentice of Florence<\/em>, published in 1933 by Houghton Mifflin. The year is 1453. Nemo, just 16, becomes indentured to a silk merchant from Florence. A business trip whisks the characters to Byzantium in an atmosphere rich with murder and intrigue. Behind it all: Will Byzantium (Istanbul today) be taken by the Turks? Spoiler alert: Bet on the Turks.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Kyle\u2019s white cape, \u201cIt was strictly a summer cottage, built with spacious rooms,\u201d says Prin Allen. \u201cYears ago, there was quite a colony on Long Island,\u201d visible from the cottage\u2019s front windows. \u201cAn old steamboat used to go back and forth to the island from a departure point just below her house.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What a lovely ride.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boldwater: 38.6 acres, $7.8M. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Taxes are $27,056.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Dark Star<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

If Buckminster Fuller kicked back here, you can, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fancy a place with a pedigree? Just a 20-minute ferry ride off the Maine coast, noted architect Fred Savage designed \u201cDark Harbor<\/strong>\u201d on Islesboro in 1896. Situated on 117 Jetty Road, the Colonial Revival showpiece has a grand double staircase and an oval dining room. How many of your friends have a Renaissance knot garden?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRelations of the Astors of Titanic<\/em> fame owned this property for a number of years. Their friend Buckminster Fuller often visited and was known to have regaled children with many stories,” say current owners Kerry and Bruce Claflin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the home was run as an inn, many notable people attended. As Charles Kuralt, the TV announcer who had a show about the byways of America, wrote, \u2018I\u2019ve often thought if someone were coming to visit America for the first time, I\u2019d send them to\u2026Islesboro Island, where there\u2019s a great Victorian inn called Dark Harbor House, a gracious place with no phones, and fireplaces in all the rooms.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There are \u201c196 feet of tidal shorefront on Ames Cove with a kayak launch and gravel beach.\u201d The lot is just over four acres. \u201cIn 2011\/12, the current owners commissioned a complete restoration\/renovation, starting with a new foundation and ending with top period furnishings and landscaping.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The current owners are staying on the island but downsizing. Imagine yourself enjoying \u201cGin and tonics on the circular porch overlooking the beautiful cove.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Dark Harbor: 4 acres, $4.275M. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Taxes are $20,439.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Pasadena East<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Camden’s<\/strong> affectionate copy of the Gamble House<\/strong> in California is an attraction all its <\/span>own.<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/span>n Pasadena, California, one of the most mesmerizing National Historic Landmarks is the Gamble House<\/strong>, designed in 1908 for Procter & Gamble tycoon David B. Gamble by architects Henry Mather Greene and Charles Sumner Greene. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026Wouldn\u2019t it be something if they built a house like that in Maine?<\/span><\/p>\n

On our side of the Continental Divide, the near replica is in Camden, set high on 23 acres of Mt. Battie with soaring views of Penobscot Bay. The land was bought in 2007 by Joseph D. \u201cDyke\u201d Messler, Jr.<\/strong>, the great-grandson of the founding Gambles who built the Pasadena house. By 2012, Messler\u2019s \u201chomage\u201d was complete. Listed for $9.7M<\/strong>, this sentimental journey has been featured by The Wall Street Journal<\/em>: \u201cMr. Messler, 67, says he was inspired by his family\u2019s history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gambles didn\u2019t become famous for being shy. They know their branding. They brought us Crest toothpaste, Bounty paper towels, Head & Shoulders, Pampers, Febreze, Dawn, Tide, and on and on. We always think of Bob Kraft of Gillette as owning the New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium and all. Procter & Gamble owns Gillette.<\/span><\/p>\n

So Dyke Messler is candid when he tells us the feeling he gets when he pulls up to 135 Mountain Arrow Drive. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe views of Penobscot Bay through the old-growth white pines are staggering\u2013from the Rockland Breakwater [to] Owls Head Light, Matinicus, and the Havens. The early morning and late afternoon light are especially captivating, lighting the trees and the garden in an ethereal way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This striking location lured him because \u201cAccording to local lore, this area was a favorite spot for native Americans.\u201d Who doesn\u2019t love a dazzling view? \u201cThe buildings are well anchored to the land\u2013one of the hallmarks of the Greenes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a sense of genius loci<\/em> up here. Which doesn\u2019t hurt when you want to decompress. \u201cThe oceanside terrace is a great way to relax with a glass of wine. It takes in views of both the mountains and the sea and overlooks colorful gardens and a vanishing-edge swimming pool. A fire pit takes the chill off cool evenings, and a water feature provides a tranquil spot to unwind at the end of the day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pasadena place dates to 1908, but this \u2018homage\u2019 is hard-wired to download the moon. \u201cWhile the house is contemporary, it also reflects the exquisite craftsmanship of an earlier era. No expense has been spared to capture the flavor of the past while creating a residence that uses the technologies of the present, including solar and geothermal. The residence is fully automated, and all systems can be operated from an iPad or iPhone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking for privacy? Check<\/em>. It \u201cabuts 5,000 acres of state park.\u201d Do you crave that feeling when you walk inside and see the buttery paneling? Absolutely. As for why the family is letting this go, \u201cWe are selling in order to move to a smaller property.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Procter & Gamble has its jingles. \u201cGillette. The Best a Man Can Get.\u201d \u201cLook, Ma, No Cavities!\u201d \u201cBounty\u2013the Quicker Picker-Upper.\u201d A possible slogan for this mountain Shangri La? \u201cYours. If you dare and you can.\u201d
\nGamble House Replica: 23 acres. $9.7M. Taxes are $56,987.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet the dreamers who built these properties for sale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[892,232,224],"tags":[119],"class_list":["post-14937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate","category-shelter-design","category-talking-walls","tag-februarymarch-2017"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14937"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19307,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14937\/revisions\/19307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}