July/August 2014 | view this story as a .pdf

Indulge your inner Cornelius Vanderbilt  with a stay at one of at least 33 former Bar Harbor rusticators’ mansions turned inns and B&Bs.

By Claire Z. Cramer

Ivy Manor, 1930

The handsome mansion cloaked in ivy at 194 Main Street was built in the 1930s by a family physician who maintained his office in what is now the lobby area. He lived in the rest of the house with his own family. Business must have been good. Six of the eight guest rooms have fireplaces. The guest rooms now have fanciful names like Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge; the private baths are finished with English tiles.

“The ivy’s been here since the Thirties, and it changes with the seasons like the trees,” says Christine Poole, co-proprietor with husband John Poole. “In the fall, the leaves turn incredible shades of orange. It’s a sight.” The Pooles are in their second season at Ivy Manor.

The manor became an inn in 1996. There is a restaurant that’s open to the public, Michelle’s, on the premises, with an ambitious new head chef. “Last summer, Glenn Close and her husband had dinner with us, which was fun. They were with a group from Jackson Lab.

Christine says she was told by a repeat visitor to the inn that years ago, Prince William and Kate Middleton slipped in for dinner at Michelle’s one night while quietly vacationing here during their courtship. “Our guest says she caught sight of Kate on her way to the ladies room.”

Michelle’s started serving lunch this summer. “When weather permits, we put people out in the front garden for lunch–everyone wants to people-watch in Bar Harbor.”

BALANCE  ROCK  INN, 1903

“The original mansion was built in 1903 for a railroad magnate from Scotland, Alexander Maitland,” says Claire Conlon, general manager at Balance Rock Inn. “He was Henry Flagler’s partner in the Florida East Coast Railway.” In the heyday of rail travel, the One-Percenters needed those luxury overnight and dining railcars to shuttle family and staff from their Palm Beach winter palaces to their cool, New England summer cottages.

Boston architects Andrews, Jacques and Rantoul, designers of more than a few Gilded Age mansions on Mt. Desert, drew the graceful shingle-style that’s named for the hulking ‘balance rock’ you can find poised at a rakish angle on the beach nearby on the Shore Path.

Bar Harbor tax rolls indicate that in 1939, the mansion was purchased by Harold Hartshorne, a professional ice dancer.

“The place was made into an inn around 1986. We’ve expanded since the 1990s. The original house was a three-story mansion. There was a croquet court where the pool is now. Our carriage house was originally the stables.

“We’re an inn, but we have a full staff–bell men, housekeeping staff, bartenders and waiters,” says Conlon. “We’ve got a dining room, plus our veranda bar, which attracts non-guests, too. We tend to stay pretty booked, but we can find available rooms.

“Billy Joel has stayed here, and I know Aerosmith did too, before I got here. We had a sheik once, too, I believe from Dubai.”

ULLIKANA INN, 1885

Ullikana–the name could not sound farther from the golden age of Bar Harbor’s  summer colony.

“It’s a bit of a mystery,” says innkeeper Hélène Harton about the name of the gracious Tudor mansion-turned-inn, built in 1883 for Alpheus Hardy, a wealthy China trader. “The name’s most likely Hawaiian. The original owner had a trading post in Hawaii, and ships. His great-grandchildren stopped in one time, and they confirmed this. They didn’t know what the name meant, either. Hardy never told.”

The mansion is a stunning construction of stone and timber; the breakfast terrace overlooks the harbor. The common rooms are a mix of antiques, elegance, comfort, and colorful fabric. Hélène’s eclectic collection of pottery pitchers and teapots is set about in uncontrived clusters.

“Hardy never actually stayed here, though,” she continues in her musical, French-inflected accent. Oh? “A scissors fell on his foot, gangrene developed, and he died. It’s sad. But his widow summered here for many years. Later, it was owned by a couple–scientists at Jackson Lab–who eventually turned it into a B&B. I’m told Julia Child was their visitor.”

Hélène and her husband, Roy Kasindorf,  are now in their 24th season. She’s discreet about her guests. “But I can tell you, no movie stars. No Johnny Depp, I’m afraid.”

ATLANTEAN COTTAGE, 1903

Built in 1903 by noted architect Frederick Savage, Atlantean Cottage served as his  personal residence and as a model home as he sought commissions from the wealthy summer rusticators.

“The Atlantean, at 8,000 square feet,  seems large today, but was quite modest by summer cottage standards of the era. However, it incorporates many of Savage’s design standards,” says innkeeper Gary Rich. “That melding of English Tudor revival with Maine shingle style.

“Savage never missed an opportunity–he was an astute businessman, and he designed over 300 buildings on Mount Desert Island. He’d taken over the Bear Mountain Granite Quarry here, so the Atlantean’s first floor is built of fine-cut granite blocks, with the Tudor timbers above. He made good use of that granite. His design of Breakwater for John Innes Kane, the grandson of John Jacob Astor, was similar to Atlantean–including the granite base–but Breakwater’s about three times the size of Atlantean.

“We’re in our 10th season here, and quite booked already, but we still have the occasional room available.” The kitchen does not serve meat at breakfast, but they do serve eggs and dairy. “Some guests actively seek out our vegetarian menu; many don’t even notice.”

Do Gilded-Age Bar Harbor history enthusiasts ever come calling? “Every now and then people turn up to introduce themselves as the great-grand something-or-other of Frederick Savage. To use an expression, there are a lot of Savages up here.”

Ivy Manor

Closing mid-October until May, 8 rooms, $99-$355, ivymanor.com 288-2138

Ullikana Inn

Mid-May to the end of October, 10 rooms, $170-$365, ullikana.com 288-9552

Balance Rock Inn

Mid-May to end of October, 27 rooms & suites, $125-$635, balancerockinn.com 288-2610

Atlantean Cottage 

May to the end of October, 8 rooms, $150-$260,
atlanteaninn.com 288-5703