A large building on Eastport’s downtown waterfront that used to produce cans for Maine’s former sardine industry has been sold.
The 30,000-square-foot building on Sea Street used to house the American Can Company, which manufactured metal tins that were widely used by Maine sardine canneries in the industry’s heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The building’s fortunes declined as the industry waned — Maine’s last cannery closed down in 2010 — and for decades it has sat largely empty.
The former shorefront factory sold last week for $100,000, after having been listed for sale for $150,000. The new owner is a company called 1018 Mahogany Way LLC, based in Windsor, Colorado, according to a Maine Real Estate Transfer Tax Declaration form posted online by Maine Revenue Services.
The building had been owned by a trio of local women through their company, Dirigamus LLC, who for more than a decade had sought investors to renovate and make much-needed repairs to the structure, which sits directly across the narrow street from the Tides Institute & Museum of Art and The Happy Crab tavern.
But investors for converting the building into mixed-use space remained elusive, and it continued to deteriorate.
Three years ago, it was included by Maine Preservation on its list of most endangered historic properties. The nonprofit historic preservation group said that repair projects in recent years have focused on more than 130 concrete piers that support the building, much of which extends out over the water.
“Prolonged neglect of the nearly flat roof and clerestory has meant the deterioration of the roof decking, interior timber structure, and flooring,” the group wrote. “The brick exterior walls have also suffered from the failing roof and exposure to the elements.”
Linda Godfrey, a partner in Dirigamus, declined to comment immediately on the sale of the building late Tuesday afternoon.
This fall, another partner in Dirigamus said they had come close two or three times to lining up a new owner, but because those deals didn’t pan out, the condition of the building became more acute.
“We realized we need to pass it on to someone who has the resources to address the building’s immediate needs,” Meg McGarvey said in September.
Attempts Tuesday to track down contact information for the Colorado company were unsuccessful.