{"id":601693,"date":"2026-04-23T14:08:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/601693\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T14:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:08:16","slug":"a-church-built-by-one-of-maines-premier-architects-is-on-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/601693\/","title":{"rendered":"A church built by one of Maine\u2019s premier architects is on the market"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Housing
This section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine\u2019s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market and the public policy behind them. Read more Housing coverage here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A nearly 160-year-old church in Bridgton built by one of the state\u2019s most famous architects is up for sale and could be converted to a 4,000-square-foot home<\/p>\n

The building, previously known as the South Bridgton Congregational Church<\/a>, was built in 1870 by Francis Henry Fassett of Bath, one of Maine\u2019s most prolific architects of the mid to late nineteenth century. At the time, the Gothic Revival church on Fosterville Road cost slightly more than $10,500 to construct, according to the National Register of Historic Places. <\/p>\n

Fassett is credited with rebuilding several public and private properties in Portland following the city\u2019s Great Fire of 1866 such as The Francis Hotel and Baxter Library Building, both on Congress Street in downtown Portland. His Bridgton church was added to the National Register of Historic Places<\/a>\u00a0in June 1987.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe church served as a gathering place for approximately 150 years hosting weekly services, bean suppers and local events,\u201d said Libby Brackett, a real estate broker and the listing agent for the property. <\/p>\n

The property hit the market earlier this month with an asking price of $299,000. That\u2019s significantly lower than the price of an average home in Bridgton, which Zillow placed at roughly $405,000 as of last month. <\/p>\n

The main level of the building includes an entry space with a half bathroom as well as stairs that lead to a balcony on the second floor that overlooks the \u201cstunning\u201d sanctuary, Brackett said. Warm wood paneling covers the walls and ceiling throughout much of the building. <\/p>\n

\"\"The main level of the building, which previously served as the church\u2019s sanctuary space, is covered in warm wood paneling, towering windows and a grand chandelier anchors the space. Credit: Courtesy of Rhonda Farnham Photography<\/p>\n

Towering arched windows with stained glass details line both sides of the building\u2019s main room, which previously served as the church\u2019s central worship space. A grand chandelier that was converted from oil to electric anchors the grand room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe woodwork on the interior is phenomenal and to think that\u2019s been like that since 1870 is crazy,\u201d Brackett said. \u201cThe property is so gorgeous, and I think a lot of good can come of it.\u201d <\/p>\n

The nearly quarter-acre property slopes down from the road, which allows plenty of sunlight to pour into the building\u2019s walkout basement. That space, Brackett said, previously held large gatherings and holds both a small kitchen and a half bathroom. \u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"\"The building\u2019s walkout basement previously held large gatherings and offers both a small kitchen and a half bathroom. Credit: Courtesy of Rhonda Farnham Photography<\/p>\n

The property has been well-maintained throughout its long life, Brackett said, and the roof, electrical and septic systems were all updated in 2004. The site also has a drilled well. While the two-bathroom property has no bedrooms, Brackett said it could become a single-family home, duplex or turn into a commercial space, such as a restaurant or office.<\/p>\n

The seller bought the property at the end of 2024, shortly after the church\u2019s congregation merged with Sebago Congregational Church. He had plans to turn the space into an event hall or wedding venue, but his plans changed for personal reasons, Brackett said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWith it being such a beautiful property, he didn\u2019t want to see it sit,\u201d Brackett said. \u201cIt has so much potential and I\u2019m hoping the right buyers come along.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HousingThis section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine\u2019s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601694,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,229,88,261742,1148],"class_list":["post-601693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-property-feature","tag-surprise"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}