Bit by bit, Millay House in Rockland is restored
ROCKLAND— It’s been more than a year since Penobscot Bay Pilot wrote a story on the Millay House Rockland, a modest yellow double house at 198 Broadway titled, A peek inside the Rockland house where Edna St. Vincent Millay was born.
In March 2017, at that time of that story, the Rockland Historical Society, which bought the property the prior year, had formed a committee to oversee the restoration. The double house was in pretty bad shape, still in various stages of disrepair. Through various fundraising efforts, plans were coming together for the house to undergo a complete renovation.
By June 2018, while far from finished, it was evident how much had been done. With the monies raised, Phi Builders had been able to make a decent amount of progress. The clapboards have been replaced and repainted and the side deck and stairs were completely restored.
Last year, the kitchen looked intact, if rundown. Today, the kitchens on both sides of the double house have been gutted down to the studs. Phi Builders did the demolition necessary to build the structure back up and additionally roughed in electric and plumbing.
Lisa Westkaemper, treasurer of Millay House Rockland, said that previous fundraising efforts have gotten the house to this point, but that more fundraising is needed to complete the project. To foster more support, Millay House Rockland will be partnering with a number of organizations to host the second annual city-wide arts and literary festival called Millay Arts and Poetry Festival this fall. They are also open to various rooms of the house being named after sponsors.
Click through our gallery of Before and After photos to view various parts of the renovated house and visit: Millayhouserockland.org for upcoming Millay events and announcements.