(Update, June 11, 2025) A vote to provide $200,000 to the Rockland Historical Society from the Undesigned Fund Balance Account to help purchase a new building for Rockland's memorabilia has been postponed until a June 23, 2025 Special Meeting.

Ordinance 29 Authorizing UDFB Expenditure – Historical Society (Post 04/14/25) sponsored by the City Manager

An Order authorizing the expenditure of $200,000 from the Undesigned Fund Balance Account to be used to assist the Rockland Historical Society in purchasing the building at 8 North Main Street to serve as the Society’s permanent home. This Order was postponed from the 04/14/2025 Regular Meeting. Vote: 5-0.

ROCKLAND — Brian Harden believes he’s found a suitable building for the Rockland Historical Society artifacts that currently sit in storage. 8 North Main Street, itself a part of Rockland’s history, known recently as the former Free Press building, is on the market. For the Society, the North Main Street owner has reduced the asking price by $200,000 from the original $1 million. One payment has been made, and the demand for a second $200,000 installment looms.

Mold has driven the Historical Society from its previous home in the basement of the Rockland Public Library and without another place to go, the Society has been living out of boxes and cannot accommodate visitors. Included in the archives is an extensive Civil War collection. Waiting in the wings is an extensive lime and railroad collection from the David Hoch estate, which would have been too big for the Library basement.

Harden, president of the Historical Society, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and a state of Maine nonprofit corporation, has turned to Rockland City Council to ask for the money for that second installment, dipping into the City’s undesignated funds. Monday, June 9, 2025, City Council members will vote to allow or deny the request.

“You are our successor,” said Harden to the City of Rockland. “If Rockland Historical Society goes into dissolution or goes into a non-active status, you will inherit all of the collections, all of the furniture, all of the artwork, that we have accumulated in 50 years (1977 - 2027). It’s the only safe way to do this.”

A week before Christmas, Harden signed a purchase and sale agreement. As of April 7, the Society had $350,000 in hand. $250,000 that the owner, Reade Brower, will take back. The Society is asking for $200,000 from the City. An additional $200,000 still needs to be raised. Some foundations are willing to consider helping financially, but only if the Society has secured the title to the building.

“It’s the deadline that’s killing us,” said Harden in April when he sat before City Council in an agenda-setting meeting. “If we don’t have the money for purchase – that $800,000 – on May 1, then we won’t be able to purchase the building. And the building may not wait for us to go through the other phases.”

On top of the cost of the building, another $100,000 needs to be raised for building maintenance. The building needs a new roof. ADA requirements need to be updated.

When the building is purchased in full, the Society could move in to the first and second floors of the three-story structure anytime, with visions of partnering with Rockland Main Street to create a visitor center now that the Chamber of Commerce has dissolved. As well, the Society aims to organize a fully-operational research space for visitor use on the second floor and space to accommodate entire student classes as opposed to the groups of five or six that barely fit at the library space.

In response to Mayor Penny York's question of sustainability, Harden described the option of setting up a long-term apartment rental on the third floor, which would require painting and adding a kitchen. The rental means that the building would be taxable, but Harden has been told by realtors that the rent collected would pay for the property tax and provide the necessary funds that the Society needs to pay to the current owner toward the mortgage.

Councilor Adam Lachman referenced a recent expenditure to the lighthouse and how it differed from the Historical Society’s request.

“The lighthouse was sort of an emergency situation,” said Lachman. “We were in kind of a pickle, so to speak. If someone did not act, the historic building would be a significant detriment, if not a loss.”

To the Society’s request, Lachman liked the mention of multi-uses – partnering with Rockland Main Street and creating a visitor center. At the same time though, he also wanted more incite into the fundraising efforts: the total amount that needs to be raised, the sources of those donations, the current amount of money on hand, and the projections for five years from now.

“I want to make sure that we are looking at this opportunity from the perspective of the now and also over the next several years,” said Lachman. “If the city did provide support, we need to have some assurances that the investment’s going to sustain your efforts into the future.”

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com