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Mansion designed for Gov. John F. Hill on market for $1.3M
BY KEITH EDWARDS
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 10/13/2008

AUGUSTA -- A large piece of the city's and state's history is for sale -- figuratively and literally.

The Gov. John F. Hill House at 136 State St. -- currently home to a conference center and multiple Catholic Charities of Maine services -- is for sale for $1.3 million.

The mansion's 28,000 square feet and 101 parking spaces on 1.34 acres is known to most as the St. Paul Center.

When it was built between 1901 and 1903, the ornate mansion designed by John Calvin Stevens was one of the most expensive private residences in Maine, according to state Historic Preservation Officer Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., and cost about $250,000 to build.

Catholic Charities, which moved into the building in 2002 after purchasing it from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, has found that owning such a large, historic building can be a pretty expensive proposition, too.

"It's the numbers, it's the size of it," Jeff Tiner, director of quality and compliance for Catholic Charities of Maine, said when asked why his group is selling the stately, columned building.

"Our primary mission is to provide social services to those in need. With the ongoing challenges we face -- operating costs, fuel oil, repairs, things like that -- our focus needs to remain on the services and not on supporting a historic facility."

The Colonial Revival-style mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built for Gov. John Fremont Hill, from distinctive St. Louis brick.

"At the time, (Hill) thought it might ultimately become the governor's mansion," said Shettleworth, who gave a guided tour of the Hill House in 2002 in honor of the 100th anniversary of its construction.

The property is assessed at $3.4 million by the city.

Shettleworth and Chris Paszyc, of CBRE/The Boulos Company, which is listing the building, both said the building has been very well preserved.

The property includes the three-story front mansion, a two-story back carriage house and a one-story addition between the two that was built in 1963.

"The building has been impeccably preserved by Catholic Charities," Paszyc said. "And they added some modern amenities -- a new sprinkler system, a new elevator."

Paszyc said he has already received interest in the building.

A "historic place" easement protects the main house from major alterations.

"The house has, for over a century, remained largely intact," Shettleworth said. "The exterior has had very little change. The interior features and woodwork are almost entirely unchanged. On the first floor, the Hill family, and the Roman Catholic Diocese and St. Paul Center retreat, they all preserved the wallpapers, the drapes, the furnishings, for those downstairs rooms.

"One would hope another sympathetic party would be found to own and maintain the building -- because it is one of Augusta's great landmarks."

Steve Letourneau, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of Maine, said the organization wants to sell the building to free up more money for its programs, and provide services more efficiently.

Those services include adult mental-health case management, children's case management, therapeutic foster care, homemaker services, functional family therapy services and a library of instructional materials for the blind.

Letourneau said 80 percent of the organization's services are reimbursed through state or federal contracts, and that government funding is getting harder to come by as cuts are made to deal with budget deficits.

Tiner said Catholic Charities intends to continue providing those services in the greater Augusta area, but in a smaller, more efficient location.

"In order to operate more efficiently with the tax dollars we get, we're looking to consolidate space to make do with less in state contracts," Tiner said.

Overall, Catholic Charities is still viable. Its fiscal year 2007 annual report shows revenue of about $25.8 million and expenses of $25.2 million.

The Hill House also had multiple rooms rented out as meeting and special-event space.

The sale of the Hill House is unrelated to, and is not expected to affect, Catholic Charities' plans, in a partnership with Roncalli Apartments, to construct a 30-unit elderly housing development nearby on Chapel Street.

That project was recently granted a building permit by the city.

Sue Bernard, a spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, said ground is expected to be broken for that project in the next couple of weeks.

Hill was governor from 1901 to 1905. He was a doctor and later married into his wife's family's successful printing and publishing business, which became Vickery-Hill.

Shettleworth said publishing, particularly of weekly home newspapers filled with advertising for domestic goods and products, was a major industry in Augusta and Hill was one of its leaders.

Tiner, whose own office is on the third floor of the building, said he'll miss the old place.

"I was part of the first programs that moved in here," he said. "I've developed quite the appreciation for what this building means, and the things that have been housed here. It won't be an easy parting at all. It's an icon to the community. I'd certainly like to see it move into like-minded hands, recognizing and honoring the history of the building."

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com

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