ROCKLAND — A commercial property owner in Rockland proposing to partially demolish a building in order to create a parking lot will return before the Planning Board, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Located at the corner of Main Street and Park Drive,  279 Main Street is represented by a one-story brick structure with full basement.  The demolition proposal comes at a time when its tenants – Park Street Grille and Midcoast Music Academy –  are riding out the pandemic’s constricted economy.

Time Out Pub abuts the property to the south, and the Maine Lighthouse Museum abuts to the east. 

The owner, referred to in the paperwork as “279, LLC,” proposes to demolish approximately 10,250 square feet of a northern section of the existing structure.

In its place, the LLC proposes to lay out a parking area with 9 foot x 19 foot parking spots and a 24 foot wide drive aisle. The parking area will be accessible from Main Street and Park Drive.

Estimated construction costs total approximately $175,000, with an estimated completion time of Fall 2021.

The property, 279 Main Street, is not located in a historic district, yet it still evokes eras past. 

In 1952, Studley’s Furniture Company caught fire on the grounds where Time Out Pub now stands. Tiny cinders blew from the combustion, creating a domino effect of destruction as building after building ignited, including next door – The Rockland Hotel, 279 Main Street. A year later, Sears and Roebuck erected from the ashes the structure now standing.

As a nod to the pre-fabricated houses sold in its catalogues, Sears formed the walls of 279 Main Street using an uncommon process called Tilt-up Construction. Concrete walls were built in sections by pouring cement into wood frames lying on the sidewalk. Once the cement dried, a crane lifted the walls into place. 

Following the closure of Sears in 1995, Frank Ferraiolo purchased the building and renovated the Main Street wall to classic revival brick façade with symmetrical arched windows on either side of a large arched entrance. 

In 2015, Midcoast Music Academy received $50,000 in grant funds in order to expand its suite within 279 Main Street, having only been in residence one year and quickly outgrowing the three sound-proof rooms and waiting area.

The site plan for the proposed demolition was submitted by Gartley and Dorsky Engineering and Surveying.

The Planning Board meeting will begin at 5:15 in Council Chambers at Rockland City Hall. 

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com