After decades of decline, and 10 years after the town sought proposals for tearing it down, a former seminary building in Bucksport has found new life as an apartment building.
Wilson Hall, which was built before the Civil War, was in dire straits for years as its bell tower sagged and its windows were broken and boarded up. A few times, the elected Town Council weighed options for having the building demolished.
But five years ago, Larry Wahl convinced the town, which had seized the property after a prior owner neglected to pay taxes on it, to sell it to him for $1 so he could try to save it. Along with the bargain price, the town loaned Wahl $60,000 it had set aside for razing the building so he could put the money toward urgent repairs.
Now, the rebirth of the building is nearly complete. Wahl, who worked for construction company E.L. Shea in Ellsworth for more than a decade before branching out on his own, owns and maintains several rental properties in town. That list now includes Wilson Hall, which has six apartments — two of which are already occupied.
“This building was a shell, and the tower was shot,” Wahl said Thursday. “That was my goal, to save the building. I’ve accomplished that.”
In addition to putting apartments in the building, Wahl has rebuilt the clock tower and roof of the building, and he has installed in the tower a bell that dates to around when Wilson Hall was first built. He estimated he has spent close to $900,000 on repairs and renovations.
Wahl said he was surprised to learn, after he acquired the building, that it was not connected to the town’s water and sewer systems. Hooking up the building to these systems, installing a sprinkler system, and putting in an array of heat pumps on the west side of the building all were major parts of the renovation, he said.
“I’ve done construction before, but never a building restoration to this degree,” said Wahl, who is 78 years old. “This wasn’t in my retirement plans.
Paul Bissonnette, chairperson of the Bucksport Town Council, said it was Wahl’s decision to get involved in saving Wilson Hall that changed the town’s outlook.
“Larry really should be commended. In 2018, one of the things I said when running for the council was maybe it was time to cut our losses on Wilson Hall,” Bissonnette said. “Through the pandemic and all, he has committed substantial resources and time to this effort and, once again, Wilson Hall is something to speak proudly about in Bucksport.”
Wahl said there is still some work to do in the building to finish the rental units, but he hopes to be all done in February. He said his target demographic for tenants is people 60 years and older, but added that there is no elevator in the building.
There are two small efficiency apartments on the first floor, one of which is occupied, and an unfinished large gathering space that Wahl says he plans to let groups use for meetings or other events. The second floor has a pair of two-bedroom apartments, and the top floor has a pair of one-bedroom apartments. One of the one-bedroom apartments has a tenant, but the remaining units all are not quite done, he said.
Wahl said he plans to keep Wilson Hall and continue to run and maintain it, along with his other local rental properties. He owned The Dairy Port ice cream shop on Main Street for 38 years, but sold it around the same time he acquired Wilson Hall.
Wahl said he doesn’t plan to pursue any more renovation projects.
“I’m getting too old for that,” he said with a chuckle. “My body won’t take it.”