One of Maine’s last remaining historic train stations hit the market last week with an asking price of $975,000.
The former Gardiner Railroad Station sits on Maine Avenue near downtown Gardiner on the edge of the Kennebec River. The 3,439-square-foot building is on a roughly 1-acre lot and has a private 20-space parking lot, according to Anna Boucher, a realtor with Summit Real Estate and the listing agent for the property.
The building is one the state’s last former train stations that have been repurposed, but remain standing as examples of both unique architecture and a time when passenger rail was the primary mode of transportation linking Mainers. Other notable stations, such as Union Station in both Bangor and Portland, were demolished long ago and strip malls were built in their place.
Passenger rail service arrived in Gardiner in the 1850s, and by the early 1900s, it was clear a bigger station was needed and Portland-based architect George Burnham was recruited for the job. Burnham’s other notable work includes the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland and the B.H. Bartol Library in Freeport.
The Central Maine Railroad had the Romanesque-style building constructed in 1911. The lower part of the building, including the walkout basement, was built using large granite blocks while bricks were used on the top half of the building.
The main floor still holds elements that hint at its former life as a train station. For example, what once was the ticket booth in the center of the main floor is still there, but is now being used as an office, and a large clock still hangs from the ceiling.
Despite the historic architecture inside, the grand front double staircase that faces Maine Avenue remains Boucher’s favorite feature.
Boucher’s husband now owns the building with a business partner. They bought it in 2006, but it was previously owned by Ken Tuttle, a local antiques dealer and the father of Boucher’s husband.
Tuttle, who also created a sprawling antique village in Pittston now on the market for $6 million, bought the former train station in the 1980s. He was known for owning other properties in Gardiner and having a fondness for antique properties.
“Somebody approached him saying they were looking to sell and asked if he’d be interested and he first said, ‘no, I’ve got my hands full right now,’” Boucher said. “But then they told him which building it was. He had always had a liking for that building, so he bought it that very same day.”
Tuttle died in 2002 and his properties, including the former train station, were put in a trust.
The building has held a few different businesses in recent decades. An auto parts store occupied the building when Tuttle bought it, and the local Boys and Girls Club used it for a while, Boucher said. Today, a cannabis dispensary operates in the building.
Despite its many uses over its more than 100-year history, Boucher said she believes the building should be outfitted to hold a restaurant, given its size, location and on-site parking.
“They could get approval from the town to get docking slips along the Kennebec River so in the summer, people could come up the river, dock their boat, come inside and have something to eat,” Boucher said. “I think something like that would be ideal for the location and Gardner as a whole.”