Former funeral home in Portland to be repurposed as bed-and-breakfast

An exterior view of a white building with pillars.

Photo / Courtesy The Dunham Group Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Homes listed its longstanding location at 172 State St. in Portland for $2.1million.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Plans are in the works to repurpose the site of a former funeral home in Portland into a bed-and-breakfast.

Mark McCain, a Portland resident with a background in hospitality and redevelopment, bought 172 State St. from Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Homes, which recently moved operations to 300 Allen Ave., a newly built funeral, cremation and memorial event center.

The property at 172 State St. was listed with Tom Moulton and Katie Breggia at the Dunham Group for $2.09 million. The purchase price was $1.7 million.

The 8,390-square-foot, three-story building on 0.38 acre includes a detached four-bay carriage house and a connected 0.22-acre parking lot with a two-bay garage at 105 Winter St.

Built in 1847

Adam Walker, the funeral home’s owner and funeral director, said he and his wife Caitlin were thrilled with McCain’s plans “as it will continue to serve the community and maintain the integrity of the building.”

Built in 1847 as a private residence, it became the R.J. Duddy Funeral Home in the late 1920s, acceding to the funeral home’s website. John Conroy and Ralph Tully purchased the property in 1962, and was run for nearly four decades by Ralph, his wife Theresa and their son Paul. The Walkers acquired the property and the business in 2014.

“When the time came to sell, we received many offers,” the Walkers wrote in a statement on their website. “Some envisioned office space; others hoped to convert the building into dense apartments. In the end, we chose not the highest bid, but the one that gave us peace of mind: local buyers who we believe will honor the history of the home and protect its place in Portland’s story.”

SBA 504 financing

McCain said he and his partner, Katrina, have worked on several restoration projects around Greater Portland and were immediately taken by the property’s charm and setting.

“We saw this property and thought it would be perfect for a bed-and-breakfast because of its architectural history and location,” he said.

The project will involve substantial renovations that nevertheless maintain the structure’s historical character. Installations and upgrades will include life safety systems, heating, electrical, furnishings, fixtures, equipment and paint.

The plan is to have nine guestrooms.

The renovation budget hasn’t yet been determined. Financing will include the U.S. Small Business Administration 504 program, which provides loans advantageous to borrowers for certain commercial purposes in combination with a regular bank loan traditional bank loan from Katahdin Trust Company.

The goal is to have the B&B up and running by August 2026.

McCain said he’ll manage the project. Ryan Senatore Architecture in Portland is providing the design.

“It has a unique history,” he said. “The exterior is really special and inside it has the historical finishes from when it was originally built in 1850s that you can’t re-create now because it’s so ornate.”