Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
RENOVATED — Jim Brown of Brown Development is currently in the midst of turning the former Fair Street School and Houlton Congregational Church into a six-unit, state-of-the-art apartment complex.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — A building that once served as the Houlton Congregational Church and before that the Fair Street School, is currently being renovated by a Houlton businessman to become a state of the art apartment complex.
Jim Brown, owner of Brown Development, has spent the past few months remodeling and renovating the former church. His plan is to create six apartments inside the two-story structure.
The building served as Fair Street School for a number of years before the town closed the school and sold the building to the Houlton Congregational Church in 1971. That group held services in the building until November 2011, when they closed the doors to the parish.
Once the property was on the market, Brown saw it as an excellent business opportunity.
“This is a beautiful lot in a residential area,” he said. “The building obviously needed a lot of work, so we gutted it right down to the stringers, re-insulated and pretty much rebuilt everything.”
While it may have been easier to simply demolish the building, Brown said he wanted to retain the original structure to preserve a small piece of history for the town. From the outside, the structure still has a distinct, church-like look to it.
“Structurally, the building was in good shape,” he said. “There were a lot of energy efficiency things that needed to be addressed. Everything has been super-insulated and we’re using heat pumps.”
Once complete, there will be two two-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units on the first floor and two one-bedroom apartments on the second floor.
The apartments will be geared toward a more mature clientele, particularly those 55-years of age and older. He already has his first tenant signed up, even though the building is still in a state of construction.
Personal services will be made available to tenants, similar to what Brown does with his assisted living units at Madigan Estates. Those who want some assistance with housekeeping, doing laundry or need a nurse to come in to check on them will have that opportunity. Shuttle services will also be offered to take individuals to doctor’s appointments.
“Tenants may not need those services on a daily basis, but they will be available,” he said. “This is what will differentiate our apartments from others. It is very similar to our assisted living program, but a step down from that program.”
Construction workers gutted the building last year and began remodeling in February. A sprinkler system has been installed, and all doorways are 36-inches wide to accommodate those with a disability.
“Everything in here will be handicapped friendly,” he said.
There is room on the property for expansion, Brown added, and his plans call for the construction of two additional apartment buildings at some point in the future. Brown added he plans to have the units completed by the end of July.
