Courtesy / Google Earth
Before, bland wood panels covered up the original columns at 187 Exchange St.
Updated: January 13, 2020
Renovations of Bangor’s Exchange Street storefronts near completion, uncover the past
Courtesy / ANM Properties
Inset double doors and molded mahogany panels, accented by bronze-paint trim, were installed at 193 Exchange St. as part of the new entry to the lobby of the historic Nichols Block.
Renovations of storefronts along a historic block of Exchange Street in Bangor are nearing completion.
The project is uncovering and highlighting great historic features, including some surprises.
Developer Adam Moskovitz has been tackling exterior renovations as well as performing code and safety improvements on the buildings, which stretch from State Street to York Street, since he bought the portfolio in 2016. He’s also been performing interior build-to-suit renovations based on tenant requirements.
Altogether, investment in the ground-floor renovations will be about $1 million, he said.
Moskovitz owns ANM Properties, a Bangor-based property management firm that specializes in luxury apartment rentals, design-build and commercial development.
The building at 187 Exchange St. is what’s referred to as the Nichols Block building, built in 1892.
Thompson-Hamel, a financial services firm, has space on the ground floor.
Exterior renovations included removing wood panels that covered columns, set on granite piers, that flanked the entry door, said Moskovitz. He had initially planned on replacing the panels with mahogany. Instead, he found intricately ornamented cast iron columns.
“We thought, ‘Well, we can’t cover these up now,’” he described. “So we changed the game plan. We stripped them down and brought them back to life. It was a full-on surprise. We felt because they were of historical significance they should be revealed and showcased.”
Courtesy / ANM Properties
After, Moskovitz found historic ornamental columns underneath the panels, which he decided to showcase.
Now the columns stand out as original historic features of the building. The rest of the storefront renovation features painted mahogany panels with ornamental molding.
A month ago, he completed renovations to the next-door storefront at 189 Exchange St. That entry is also part of the original Nichols Block building; it now provides access to the upper stories.
“That’s the grand lobby,” he said.
Originally, there were two separate entrances into the lobby.
“We combined it into one central entry point, with a grand double-door entrance into the lobby,” he said. “We put down 1-inch marble mosaic pieces on the entry floor.”
The façade was faced with mahogany finished with clear coat and accented with bronze-paint trim. New ground-floor windows also went in.
Courtesy / Google Earth
The old entry to 193 Exchange St.
This month, he said, the plan is to begin renovations at 193 Exchange St., where Black Bear Brewing Co. occupies the storefront. That’s expected to be complete in two months, he said.
Moskovitz completed storefront renovations last summer at 213 Exchange St., where City Drawers, a clothing store, leases space.
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