House Island Sells for $5,350,000 to the Team Behind Portland’s Foreside Development

The historic northern half of House Island, located in the center of Portland’s harbor and represented by Beth Taylor of Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, sold last week to the team behind Portland’s Foreside development for $5,350,000.

Set in the heart of Casco Bay, the iconic 12-acre property has 3,980 feet of usable ocean frontage and five sandy beaches, all just minutes away from Portland’s waterfront by boat. House Island includes three beautifully renovated homes, a barn with caretaker’s quarters, and a 375-ft deep water commercial-grade pier. This exceptional property was marketed as a potential personal compound and luxury hospitality and event venue.

“In order to find the right fit, we needed to cast a broad and creative net while marketing House Island to both residential and commercial buyers,” says agent Beth Taylor of Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, who represented the sellers. “There was strong interest from several large families looking for a private retreat, as well as in-state and out-of-state hospitality groups.”

The southern half of the island is home to Fort Scammel, a fortress constructed in 1808 and used to protect Portland during the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The Portland Press Herald has reported on the island’s military history:

Of all the forts in Casco Bay, Fort Scammell is the only one to have been involved in battle. In 1813, soldiers at the fort shot at British privateers who were stealing a private sloop. The British fired back, but nobody was injured, said Ken Thompson Jr., a Portland historian who has been digging at the fort to expose the 1808 brick wall.

The island was also used as a quarantine way-station for immigrants from 1907 to 1937, earning the nickname “Ellis Island of the North.”

According to one historical report, House Island may have been occupied by European settlers as early as 1623. House Island was designated a local historic district by the Portland City Council in 2015, which means that the Portland Historic Preservation Board must review any improvement applications in order to manage change. “This includes any new construction, to ensure that it is compatible and sensitive in design, scale, and quality of materials to what is already there,” Taylor explains. “Local historic district designation also provides long-term protection for the historic resources on the island, protections that transcend the ownership of the land.”

The sellers originally bought the 12-acre northern half of the island in 2014 and immediately took to renovating the three 1907 original homes, as well as adding a new caretaker’s barn with solar power. Power and public water were also trenched over from Peaks Island as part of upgrading the property.

Enter Casey Prentice, President of the Prentice Hospitality Group, which currently owns and operates properties including the Chebeague Island Inn, Portland-based catering company 58 Culinary, EVO Kitchen + Bar, the Marina Bar, the Maine Classic Car Museum in Arundel, and Twelve, a restaurant slated to open this summer on Thames Street in Portland. Prentice is also a managing partner of Foreside Development, which is developing the land along the eastern waterfront, a new neighborhood being called “Portland’s Foreside”, and owns Fore Points Marina, just a five-minute boat ride from House Island. The project has a large historic component, featuring the adaptive reuse of nearly 2 acres of former Portland Company buildings dating back to the 1860s.

“Ultimately the match with Prentice and his team was perfect,” says Taylor. “Since taking over ownership of Chebeague Island Inn in 2010, Prentice Hospitality Group has showcased a bespoke approach to Maine hospitality by renovating and maintaining historical structures and infusing them with contemporary amenities. With the state-of-the-art Fore Points Marina on the mainland and an exceptional team that knows how to work with the city and the community, Prentice and his team are ready to take House Island to the next level.”

Reservations for weddings, corporate retreats, family reunions, lobster bakes, and more are already underway for 2022 and 2023. Clients can book the entire island or just one house. Visit houseislandevents.com to learn more.