A historic but rapidly aging Masonic temple in Bucksport could be the home of a new restaurant, bar and rentals after it was purchased by a Belfast couple earlier this year.
Lisa Gant and Alex Pelling, who own a tour boat company in Belfast, bought the late-1800s temple and intend to restore the massive brick building at 83 Franklin St. to be both their personal home and a new commercial space.
Originally a grammar school, the property was used by the local Masons from the 1960s until they joined another chapter in Orland after the sale. While it still has plenty of original features, including its beautiful brick exterior, high ceilings and tall windows, it will need to go through a mountain of repairs.
They bought the building for $157,272, according to online listings.
Pelling estimates it will take about two years to revive the three-level building. In addition to cosmetic updates, it also needs extensive electrical, heating, plumbing and insulation work.
“It’s basically like building a house inside of a brick building,” Gant said.
The couple envision converting the old basement, which has the building’s only bathrooms and kitchen, into a restaurant and bar. The school’s original classrooms on the top floor are planned to become rental units.
The middle floor, which looks like a movie theater now, is where the Masons held their meetings and is planned to be the couple’s personal home.
Pelling and Gant have remodeled several other properties in the midcoast since moving to Belfast from England about 13 years ago and are excited for the challenge of reinvigorating the temple.
The town has approved a zoning change that will allow the old lodge to host a restaurant, a commercial purpose that wasn’t previously allowed in what was considered a residential part of Bucksport.
They’ve also got some local expertise on their side.
Pelling said he’s picked the brain of Larry Wahl, a Bucksport businessman who is on the last leg of converting a 171-year old former seminary in town into apartments, through at least a dozen phone calls.
The temple renovation and Wahl’s project are two of several new developments throughout the town, which has been on a recent rebound after its paper mill closed in 2014. A land-based aquaculture project has started work at the site of the old mill, a potential buyer has emerged for a dilapidated motel on Route 1 and a developer has proposed both commercial and residential uses at a key lot on Main Street.
Though the Mason hall will need extensive upgrades, Gant said she couldn’t resist the temple and hopes to keep as much of the original layout as she can.
“It is such a cool building,” she said. “The thought of it just deteriorating over time, or someone coming in and pulling it down and building something else seems like such sacrilege.”
