Housing
This section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine’s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market and the public policy behind them. Read more Housing coverage here.
A 41-acre compound with four separate, unique homes — one of which has 24 sides — located a 35-minute drive from downtown Bangor is on the market for $750,000.
Kosciusko Drive in Stetson holds the four homes that collectively offer roughly 7,500 square feet of living space with eight bathrooms and roughly a dozen bedrooms.
Each is unique in its structure and shape, but all can be lived in year-round, as they have heat, water, septic and electricity, according to Ashleigh Rolfson of Real Broker, the listing agent for the property.
“Each building is so unique and has these little surprises as you look around,” she said. “You really have to see it to understand it.”
The mastermind behind the estate, Dennis Kosciusko, was a mechanical engineer and bought the property in 1973. At the time, it covered 48 acres, but he sold off a few plots to others before beginning construction the following year, Rolfson said.
The first house, known as the Oval House, is a two-story structure covering more than 2,800 square feet with at least five bedrooms and two bathrooms. The property was built in 1974, then an addition with an indoor pool in the basement was created in 1980, according to Rolfson. In 2013 the pool was filled and more bedrooms were added to the home.
Today, the building’s shape resembles an overlapping oval and square, which Kosciusko chose to let in plenty of natural light, Rolfson said. The property is full of unique features, such as swinging couches, a large stone hearth and a porch on one side.
In 1996, Kosciusko built the 1,364-square-foot Tall House, which offers an apartment-style living space on the second floor. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom building has a large circular window, a cavernous car port that Kosciusko used to renovate an old school bus, a covered patio and a greenhouse, Rolfson said.
Kosciusko completed a third yurt-style house in 2006 that appears circular, but actually has 24 sides, making it an icositetragon. The single-story home has one bedroom, two bathrooms and nearly 2,900 square feet of living space.
The building has a circular living space in the middle with the home’s other rooms forming a ring around it. Aside from the home’s unique shape, the building has a deck and a small loft space in the middle, which is accessible via a pull-down ladder.
Kosciusko once held retreats on site and the 24-sided home was used as a gathering place, as some flooring can be removed to reveal a fire pit in the middle of the living room, Rolfson said.
Finally, in 2013, Kosciusko added a 465-square-foot tiny home on the land for his aging father-in-law to live in, according to Rolfson.
“[The homes] are a little dated, but charming, very solid and in great condition,” Rolfson said. “They’re not going anywhere.”
Rolfson said the number of bedrooms across the buildings is flexible, as some rooms now used as offices could become bedrooms if needed.
Kosciusko’s daughter and granddaughter have been the caretakers of the property since his death earlier this year, Rolfson said. They’re now selling it hoping someone new will enjoy the property in full, rather than chop up the land into subdivisions.
The property is exceptionally private, as it’s set back from the main road, and contains fields, two ponds and fruit trees, according to Rolfson.
The site hit the market earlier this month with a $750,000 price tag. The listing hasn’t garnered much interest yet, which Rolfson credited to its unorthodox setup.
“It’s so unique, so the buyer pool for it is pretty small,” she said. “We’re mostly looking for an investor or maybe someone who wants a family compound.”