{"id":14968,"date":"2017-11-01T18:37:20","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T22:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=14968"},"modified":"2020-09-29T09:57:30","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T13:57:30","slug":"resplendent-refugee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/resplendent-refugee\/","title":{"rendered":"Resplendent Refugee"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Another delicious<\/strong> crumb is falling from the table of the Gilded Age <\/strong>in Bar Harbor.<\/span><\/h3>\n

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

\"LaGeorge Sullivan Bowdoin\u2019s (1833-1913) ancestor James Bowdoin III founded Bowdoin College. Wouldn\u2019t the founder have been proud to see \u201cLa Rochelle,\u201d this 41-room chateau, take shape on the Bar Harbor shore in 1902? Everything about this venture was top-drawer, including the architects\u2013the Boston firm of Andrews, Jacques & Rantoul dashed off La Rochelle\u2019s design while Andrews was dreaming up blueprints for the east and west wings of the Massachusetts State House. During construction, the Bar Harbor Record predicted the cost for what\u2019s been called Bar Harbor\u2019s first brick mansion might surpass \u201c$100,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mystery of this castle\u2019s name sweeps us across the Atlantic back 400 years. James Bowdoin III\u2019s ancestors were Huguenots (French Protestants) from La Rochelle, a seaport in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. They fled to the U.S. for relief from religious persecution. (The word refugee<\/em> entered the English language with the travels of the Huguenots in the 17th century.) The Baudouins, as in Pierre Baudouin, James Bowdoin I\u2019s father, became the Bowdoins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Voil\u00e0!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Things went very well for the Bowdoins here. Not only did the Bowdoin family heirs hold court in this house, so did Alexander Hamilton\u2019s heirs. George S. Bowdoin, a treasurer at J.P. Morgan, was also the son of Alexander Hamilton\u2019s granddaughter Fanny (1813-1887). <\/span><\/p>\n

Just Add Water & Stir<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ater George Bowdoin died at his home on 39 Park Avenue in New York at age 81, some Campbell Soup money was poured into the next generation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Campbell Soup heir Tristram C. Colket, Jr. and his wife, Ruth, finally donated the house in 1972 to the Maine Seacoast Mission, a non-profit. Colket Jr.\u2019s activities are still chronicled by financial fanzines including Bloomberg<\/em>, though the Mission is the seller. Apparently, it\u2019s time for a sea change.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Maine Seacoast Mission provides spiritual, health, and youth developmental programs in coastal and island communities from mid-coast to Downeast Maine. Rooted in a history of non-denominational service, the Mission offers hope, encouragement, and help to strengthen individuals, families, and communities. Their main corporate office is located at 127 West Street,\u201d Bar Harbor. As in right here. With views of forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where will the Mission go? \u201cThe Mission is exploring options all across Mt. Desert Island,\u201d says president Scott Planting. \u201cI\u2019ll miss hosting the wide range of groups and organizations that used the \u2018public\u2019 first-floor rooms for events and meetings. People were happy to come here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Planting\u2019s favorite spot on the property is \u201cthe back porch overlooking Frenchman Bay.\u00a0 <\/span>I loved hosting people on the porch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019ll like it too. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Opportunity<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

At press time, it\u2019s listed for $6.295M on 500 feet of water frontage (three private oceanfront acres) of downtown Bar Harbor\u2019s Historic District, where Eden and West Street converge. The emerald lawn slopes to the sea, offering stunning views of Bar Island. Profile of a dream buyer? A Bowdoin alum, natch. Taxes are $58,844.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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