From Wikipedia: "The main village of Bar Harbor is set at the northeastern end of Mount Desert Island on the central coast of Maine. It occupies a nub of land that projects slightly from the surrounding coast, and has coastlines that run east–west and north–south. The central business district is located near the center of this nub, focused on the junction of Mt. Desert Street and Main Street. West Street runs parallel to Mt. Desert Street, providing access to the north portion of the coastline. The district extends along West Street from its western junction with Eden Street (where it abuts the Harbor Lane–Eden Street Historic District) to Billings Avenue in the east. Lining the street on both sides are seventeen historically significant summer houses, all built between 1870 and the 1910s, representative of the period when Bar Harbor grew to its height as an exclusive summer resort community. It is home to one of the best concentrations of these summer houses to survive the island's 1947 fire, which destroyed a significant number of such properties.
The oldest house in the district, "The Kedge", is a relatively modest Second Empire house that was built for A. Veazie (for whom it was formerly named) in 1871 and moved to the West Street area in 1886, when the street was formally laid out. It was modified in 1969 by Frederick Lincoln Savage when William Sterling was its occupant. "Petunia Cottage" (1877) was the first building to be built on what became West Street; it is a Queen Anne Victorian that was one of the first houses to be built as a rental property. Following the layout of the road there was a boom in construction, with a significant number of architect-designed properties built lining the waterfront. Stylistically these early houses are all reflective of the Shingle, Queen Anne, or Colonial Revival, which were popular at the time. Three houses were designed by the noted Boston firm Rotch and Tilden, and two were designed by New York architect William A. Potter.
In the early 20th century the houses began to increase in scale and elegance. The 41-room "La Rochelle", completed in 1902, is a lavish brick mansion in the style of a French chateau, and was one of the area's showpiece houses. It was purchased for around $4.5 million from the Maine Seacoast Mission by the Bar Harbor Historical Society in 2019. The Mission had named the building The Colket Center, after Campbell's Soup heirs Tristram and Ruth Colket, who donated the building to the organization in 1972, but "La Rochelle", which is carved into the masonry of the main gates, is the official name.
The principal non-residential property, the Bar Harbor Club, is a large Tudor Revival building erected in 1929-30; its early membership included many of society's elites. While some of these summer estates remain in private ownership, a number of them are now owned by Maine Seacoast Mission, a social service agency.
In 2017, the town of Bar Harbor revised its list of historic properties, which meant that those property owners will have imposed on them additional requirements should they wish to demolish or renovate said property." (
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The sign reads:
"EN: Native Americans were here long before settlers arrived. Over time, the island’s natural beauty enticed artists whose paintings attracted well-to-do educators and clergy. The first curious visitors boarded in local residents’ homes; later they moved into new hotels. Finally some had their own homes, the so-called “summer cottages” with names like Casa Far Niente, Bogue Chitto, Saltair, Blair Eyrie, Eegonos (now known as East of Eden) and so forth. The architects—Fred Savage, Bruce Price and William Ralph Emerson—were equally famous. Most of the homes on West Street are now registered in the West Street Historic District. The Tides cottage, a Greek revival style mansion, was built in 1887 by industrialist Mr. William Rice. His wife was one of the original benefactors of the MDI Hospital.
FR: Les Amérindiens s’installent ici bien avant les colons européens. Au fil du temps, la beauté naturelle de l’île charme plusieurs artistes dont les tableaux attirent des enseignants et des membres aisés du clergé. Les premiers visiteurs louent des chambres chez l’habitant, puis dans des hôtels. Enfin, certains construisent leurs propres manoirs qu’ils nomment Casa Far Niente, Bogue Chitto, Saltair, Blair Eyrie, Eegonos (aujourd’hui East of Eden), etc. Les architectes—F. Savage, B. Price et W.R. Emerson—sont très célèbres. La plupart des manoirs de West Street figurent aujourd’hui au Registre des Bâtiments Historiques de West Street. L’industriel William Rice, dont la femme est l’une des premières bienfaitrices de l’hôpital de Mount Desert, construit en 1887 le manoir Tides, une maison de style Grec Renouveau."