CAMDEN — Auctioneer Stefan Kennan is sitting in the parking lot of the Camden Harbour Inn this morning, March 29, letting people know who intended to attend the auction of the inn that the event has been cancelled.

The auction was cancelled late in the day, March 28, after Breda LLC, the entity that owns Camden Harbour Inn, filed bankruptcy documents with the U.S. Federal District Court in Bangor.

The principals of Breda are Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest, who bought the inn in 2007. Breda LLC was founded in 2006.

Keenan said Thursday morning that his company, which is based in Portland, got the word late Wednesday afternoon, around 4 p.m.

He had scheduled staff to conduct today’s auction, as well as the auction of the sister property in Portland known as the Danforth Inn. It is owned by Tempo Dulu LLC, whose principals are also Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest. Tempo Dulu was founded in 2014.

That auction had been scheduled for 3 p.m., March 29, while the Camden Harbour Inn auction had been scheduled for 10 a.m.

Keenan said his auction company had received hundreds of inquiries about the auction of the Camden inn, with its 19 guest rooms, since it was listed late in February. He said more than 3,000 interested parties had clicked on the property information listed on his website.

The Camden Harbour Inn and Natalie’s, on Bay View Street in Camden, is to be auctioned on March 29 at 10 a.m.

The 20-room inn, as described on the Keenan Auction Company website, consists of a “AAA 4-Diamond luxury boutique inn and award-winning fine dining restaurant.”

The 1874-built inn, owned by BREDA LLC, sits on a little than an acre knoll with harbor and mountain views. It is assessed at $2 million by the Town of Camden. The inn’s website’s Meet the Owner’s page features innkeepers Raymond Brunyanszki and Oscar Verest, who bought the inn in 2007.

In 2007, the owners invested $2 million to renovate and expand the restaurant, Natalie’s, and is presently a member of the Paris-based association of international boutique hotels and gourmet restaurants known as Relais and Châteaux.

“The three-story, wood framed building has a rich European décor with imported furnishings from across the world,” according to Keenan. “The building has a gross area of 23,827+/-SF and a living area of 16,116+/-SF.

“It is designed with a main lobby and registration area, water view lounge with gas fireplace and coffee/tea/pastry area, and a 65-seat restaurant with an additional 55 seats in the seasonal outside dining areas. There are a total of 20 keyed rooms (14-guestrooms, 3-junior suites and 3-grand suites), all with private bathrooms. All rooms have individually controlled heating and cooling, many with water views, iPad, feather beds, Sony Dream Machine clock radios, CD players, fully stocked honor bars, espresso machine, King beds, designer furniture and décor, enclosed closets, iron and ironing boards, fire detection and dry sprinklers, wireless high-speed Internet access, and flat screen TVs.

“The suites have split-system AC units with remaining rooms having window units. 9-rooms have fireplaces, 1-room has 2 fireplaces, the grand suites have a second TV, and 6 rooms have a deck or balcony. Major renovations to the guestrooms were completed in 2007 and 2 suites were constructed in 2012. Nine bathrooms were renovated in 2013. Support facilities include a fully equipped commercial kitchen, house laundry, small second floor office, employee bathroom, chef’s office, various storage areas, and refrigeration and mechanical rooms. The real estate and furniture, fixtures and equipment will be sold together as an entirety. Traditional Village District (V) Zone. Reference Town of Camden Tax Map 119, Lot 22.”

In 2016, the state’s highest court, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, vacated a Knox County judge’s decision to uphold a Camden board’s approval of a Camden Harbour Inn expansion project. Additionally, the court remanded the matter back to Knox County for dismissal of the original complaint filed by the inn’s neighbor.

The Feb. 9, 2016 decision dismissed a neighbor’s complaint against the inn for pursuing town approval of adding eight rooms, but not without the Supreme Court judges advising Camden to address its appeal process, and describing it as costly and time-consuming for both the taxpayer and private parties.

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