30-07-2025
Historic Maine home hits the market for $1M
A beautiful home in Maine three doors down from Stephen King's iconic mansion has hit the market for just under $1 million. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom home in the small city of Bangor has 5,400-square-feet of living space and sits on almost an acre and a half of land. And although it was built in 1896, extensive renovations have been done in the last five years to modernize the property while also preserving its unique historical charm.
'It's a stunning home in a prestigious area where these houses don't come on the market very long. Here's the opportunity,' said Grace Nash of Realty of Maine, the listing agent for the property. The house went on sale last weekend for $940,000, which Nash said was typical of a home its size in the area. The property was first owned by local newspaper titan Millard E. Mudgett. He was a partner in J.P. Bass and Co., which published the now defunct Bangor Daily Commercial and the Bangor Weekly Commercial.
He lived in the house until his death in October 1900 from complications related to a botched appendicitis operation, according to The New York Times . He was 45 years old. Nearly 125 years later, Mudgett's former home stands among a portion of West Broadway typically reserved for Bangor's most prominent residents. The most well-known homeowner on the street is King, who grew up in Maine and has written countless classics, including The Shining and The Shawshank Redemption.
King no longer lives at the home; instead its the site for his foundation, which focuses on giving back to community-building projects in the state. Homes in this quiet (with the exception of the occasional King fan driving by) section of Bangor rarely go up for sale, Nash said. No homes on this stretch of West Broadway sold last year. Only two properties — one of which was the Mudgett house — sold in 2023, she added.
The home was designed by Wilfred E. Mansur, one of Bangor's most prominent architects in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And typical of his creations, the home has his signature wraparound porch and distinctive turret on the left-hand side. The exterior of the home got a fresh coat of white paint last summer, an eye-catching red door and much-needed maintenance to its slate roof, a design choice that fell out of favor in the early 20th century.
Starting in 2020, the previous owners updated nearly every corner of the home's interior. The most notable renovations were the kitchen and the master bedroom. 'My favorite part of the interior of the house is definitely the kitchen,' Nash said. 'High end counter tops, gorgeous hardwood floors, an eight burner stove. It's just a great space for entertaining.'
The master bedroom on the second floor has a double-sided fireplace that shares the same chimney. One side faces the bed and the other side is inside the giant walk-in closet. In total, the home has six fireplaces.
Also included is a gorgeous en suite bathroom that features double sinks and a walk-in shower with updated, high-end fixtures. There are three additional bedrooms on the second floor, with another bedroom on the third floor near the unfinished attic. Down below, the basement has a full bathroom and a complete wine cellar.
'What sets this apart is that it is on a double lot, so you have a very large backyard, for privacy, or for any sort of outdoor entertaining and recreation. You don't see that often in the city,' Nash said.
Nash, who was born and raised in Bangor, said the best part about living in the city is its proximity to many attractions in the state, including the scenic ocean town of Bar Harbor or Acadia National Park. 'Within an hour's drive, you can access mountain ranges, you can access the ocean or larger cities. So, it's a really convenient and diverse area to live in for accessibility,' she said.
Bangor also has plenty of great restaurants and breweries to try, Nash said. One of her favorite things is the outdoor amphitheater that hosts concerts right on the banks of the Penobscot River. Nash described Bangor as a 'family-oriented city' that has a reputation of being safe, with low crime rates and a good public school system.
The house itself, she said, 'lends itself to being a great space for families because of all of the room.' She said she could also see medical professionals choosing to snap up the home because of how close it is to Bangor's community hospitals. 'There's been a little bit of interest so far,' she said. 'I think it's a unique property. It's going to take an individual that respects, understands and wants an older home and all that goes into taking care of an older home.' 'I suspect it may be a few months before we find that you know the right buyer for it,' she added.
