AUGUSTA — A historic home that was brought back from the brink of demolition is now on the market.

Larry Fleury, who bought 25 Bond St. from the city of Augusta for $1 and showcased the renovation of the single family home in March 2015, has listed that property for sale along with a couple of other homes in Augusta.

“I’m always looking at different things to do with the proceeds,” Fleury said earlier this week, “pay bills, look at other properties.”

When Fleury bought the house in 2013, it had stood vacant for a number of years. The house, formerly part of the Edwards Manufacturing Co. mill complex that included housing for employees and their families, became city property after the 1999 death of its owner. St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, which had inherited the building, sold it to the city. Starting in 2001, it was the focus of historic preservation discussions as city officials debated the building’s future and considered whether it was worth saving.

A 2012 assessment showed the house was in good enough shape to be renovated. It sparked the interest of preservation-minded people because, even as dilapidated as it was at the time, it was considered a remarkably intact example of the type of millworker housing that was common across New England in the mid- to late 19th century but is no longer common.

When he took it over, Fleury said he found padlocks on some interior doors that indicated that a prior owner probably had rented out rooms to lodgers.

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“I think there were almost 20 people living there at one time,” he said. “There were six bedrooms in there when I took it over.”

As he heard the story, a family with 13 children and some extended relatives called the house home, and he thinks the rooms were rented out to help pay the bills when the children left the house.

Fleury, through his real estate company, River City Realty, owns other properties on Bond Street, and he worked on winning a national historic designation for the street that was announced in 2014.

Now he’s looking at other opportunities, he said, adding that the tenants who had been leasing the three-bedroom home have moved out and it seemed like a good time to list it.

As advertised, the house has three bedrooms and one bathroom and is listed at $72,000.

“It’s very historic,” Fleury said. “There are exposed beams in the ceiling and hardwood floors throughout.”

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The home also has off-street parking and a lawn overlooking Bond Brook, and it offers easy access to downtown Augusta.

City Manager William Bridgeo said the only condition attached to Fleury’s purchase was that he complete a certain amount of renovation within 18 months, and Fleury met that condition.

“I was surprised to see it listed for sale,” Bridgeo said, “but there are no issues with the city. Our goal was to get it preserved and back on the tax rolls.”

Jessica Lowell — 621-5632

jlowell@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @JLowellKJ


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