86 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine photos by Michael Eric Berube of Maine Virtual Home Tours pedals. After years of silently waiting to be played, had the piano crashed through to the basement in a cry for attention? An icy hand gripped at my heart as I won- dered what last song had been played on it, and by whom? Could Miss Treamer’s fingers have danced across the ivory keys in her youth? Chopin, maybe? Was it after midnight when it made its final landing? What a jarring sound it must have made, lifting the crows into flight! T oday, in March of 2018, the house at 1 Doane’s Wharf Lane is making a lot of noise on its own. The eight- bedroom, 15-room landmark is for sale for $1.295M after a remarkable renovation. “I have pictures of the house before we worked on it,” says WorthPoint.com founder Will Seippel, the seller. “It was in- vaded by vines.” If Miss Treamer was a Hawthorne cre- ation, her younger brother and heir was straight out of E.L. Doctorow. A legendary pack rat, he collected all manner of ‘trea- sures’ inside (as well as the wrecks of four moribund autos outside, slowly sinking into the peat moss). “An old movie poster, Tar- zan Meets His Mate,” was tacked to the wall. “The Treamer family went through a hard time in the Depression. You can find it in some of the letters in the house.” With the wolf at the door, the Treamers began “rent- ing tenant apartments. The big staircase was divided in two” by a false wall, “and actual- ly wrapped around to the third floor. It was just a honeycomb of rooms. But the floors are original. The staircases are original. “I’m just happy we were able to save this house,” Seippel says. Purchased for around $150,000, “we put $500,000 or $600,000 in it during renovations.” The CEO and found- er of the colorful resource that provides comparable values for that priceless an- tique you’ve just bought at auction clearly loved this project. His flair for matching the old with the new is everywhere. Today, this house, with its authentic ochre exterior col- or (a Cabot’s stain) and fanciful installations isn’t just move-in-ready–“it’s a showcase. All the fireplaces are working. It’s probably the oldest house left in the Port. Tom Joyal was the general contractor” who saw the wave of improvements (with Jeb Bush, Jr., doing some of the carpentry work), with Seippel www.blackbearlandscapingdesign.com P.O. Box 504 You turned my overgrown perennial “wetland” into a showplace, a beautiful, serene yard that I thoroughly enjoy. The stonework and beautifully placed gardens make my yards look like a gorgeous little park. Thank you for everything, Jack! — Cynthia Densmore Portland Beautiful. Gorgeous. Serene. Serving Southern Maine & the Midcoast for over 30 years. Jack and the professionals at Black Bear Landscaping are committed to an unparalleled level of quality service. Their attention to detail, experienced practices, and commitment to excellence bring us back again and again. We very much look forward to working with them in the years to come. –Wayne G. Keller M Y F A B U L O U S Y A R D . C O M 207-937-2024 • 207-233-0353 (cell) • blackbearlandscaping@yahoo.com House of the Month