The Story
The c. 1820s Henry Tallman House is an outstanding Greek Revival-style house originally built in the Federal style and rebuilt in the 1840s by Henry Tallman. Tallman was a prominent resident of Bath and a former attorney general of Maine who later served as a judge on the Bath Municipal Court. His home stands high on a hill overlooking the city and the Kennebec River, with a large cupola, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a wrap-around porch girded by fluted columns. The interior is a treasure with a curved Federal-style staircase, striking black and white marble fireplaces, unusual pocket doors that are raised like window sashes, and a beehive oven in the kitchen.
The Threat
Bath is still experiencing the effects of the last economic downturn, and has more than 30 vacant houses awaiting resolution of mortgage disputes. Abandoned by its most recent owners, the Tallman House has been vacant for more than four years. The mortgage holder pays property taxes, but has made no move to foreclose and release the property back to the real estate market. The house is in need of substantial and critical repairs--including a new roof--before it becomes unsalvageable.
The Solution
Maine Preservation has the capacity and desire to assist the owner in selling the property to someone who will stabilize and rehabilitate the house. Maine Preservation calls on the mortgagee to enter into a dialogue about the property’s future and aid its transition to a new owner.
