in the news
Historic building in Bath reopens doors after major redevelopment project
September 19, 2023 - Caroline LeCour, WCSH 6 News Center Maine
“Folks familiar with the city of Bath's downtown area may recognize a familiar storefront has reopened its doors after a major redevelopment project.
The Grant Building, located on 31 Centre Street, has been sitting vacant for the better half of a decade until now.
Developed by Sean Ireland, principal of Windward Development, the building now houses a handful of commercial and residential spaces aimed at revitalizing the downtown area.”
Photo by James R. Salomon
Bath celebrates redevelopment of historic downtown building
September 14, 2023 - Jason Claffey, Times Record
“The historic Grant Building in downtown Bath is nearly 100 years old, and according to developer Sean Ireland, it’s poised for the next 100 years.
“The best is still to come with this building,” Ireland told a crowd of city, state and federal officials during a grand opening celebrating the building’s $3 million redevelopment. It’s one of downtown Bath’s largest renovation efforts.”
$3 million renovation of Bath’s historic Grant Building nearly complete
July 11, 2023 - Jason Claffey
“The former W.T. Grant department store, built in 1936 on Centre Street, has been converted into a mixed-use development that includes coworking space, a theater and apartments.
One of Downtown Bath’s largest-ever renovation efforts is nearly finished.
The $3 million overhaul of the 22,000-square-foot Grant Building at 31 Centre St. started in 2021 and is scheduled to wrap up within a month. The art deco–style building was built in 1936 by the W.T. Grant department store company at the site of the former City Hall.”
$3M Grant Building renovation one of largest in Bath’s history
June 20, 2023 - Laurie Schreiber, MaineBiz
“The Grant Building in downtown Bath has been a big part of the community for the better part of a century.
Now a 2 1/2-year historic rehabilitation is nearly complete — said to be one of the largest and most extensive projects in Bath’s downtown history.
“The Grant Building will become one of the most dynamic mixed-use historic redevelopments in the state of Maine,” developer Sean Ireland told Mainebiz. “Union + Co will be one of the largest coworking spaces in northern New England.””
The Grant Building Nears Completion
June 20, 2023 - Windward Development Group, LLC
The Grant Building located at 31 Centre Street, Bath, Maine, situated at the entrance of the historic downtown will reopen its doors in the upcoming weeks. Over the past 2.5 years, The Grant Building has undergone one of the largest and most extensive historic rehabilitations in Bath’s downtown history.
Office romance in work-from-home era? It’s not as remote as you think
February 13, 2023 - Ray Routhier, Staff Writer
Maybe it's isolation fatigue, but surveys and psychologists suggest workplace relationships could be on the rise and are definitely here to stay.
Main Spotlight: 5 Predictions for 2023
January 25, 2023 - Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Chief Program Officer, Main Street America
4 - The Generational Shift Becomes Visible in Small Business Ownership and Property Development, Too
…2023 will mark a highly visible shift in asset ownership along our neighborhood and downtown commercial districts. The context for this prediction simply comes from observations throughout visits to 50-plus communities in 2022 in which whether it was focus groups of entrepreneurs or district tours, there was an obvious youth movement.
In early November 2022 I had a chance to visit nine different downtowns within the Maine Downtown Center’s program. In Bath, Maine, I got to experience the Grant Building development, a mixed-use preservation project spearheaded by young developers Mandy Reynolds and Sean Ireland. This project was actually just one of a few properties they had taken on with projects ranging from housing, co-working spaces, and retail.
Photo: Joshua Langlais
Posterity project: Photographing historic Bath renovation and the people behind it
October 27, 2022 - Staff
“When developer Sean Ireland began the restoration of a 1936 art deco style building in downtown Bath last year, he looked to the community for input on its future.
Now Ireland has teamed with Bath photographer Joshua Langlais to document the redevelopment for posterity…
“Having done several of these kinds of real estate projects, I wanted to find a way to highlight and draw attention to the ‘boots on the ground people’ – the ones getting their hands dirty and showing up day after day for months at a time battling the often harsh and unpredictable conditions and elements of a construction project,” Ireland said in a news release.
Ireland, of Windward Development, is a founder of Union + Co., a coworking, art and innovation space at 48 Front St…”
Photo: @Rubbishcompany
Live Music Lineup: Weekend of shows from Alison Brown, Slambovian Circus of Dreams and X Ambassadors
July 11, 2022 - Aimsel Ponti
“Jocelyn Mackenzie with Jake Mehrmann
7:30 p.m. Saturday. Behind the Grant Building, 31 Centre St., Bath, $10. burstandbloomrecords.com
The Grant Lot outdoor summer concert series kicks off with a pair of fantastic artists. Jocelyn Mackenzie is a multi-instrumentalist, known for her stint as the singing drummer in the indie-pop act Pearl and the Beard. She released her debut album “Push” last year, and she’ll be back in Maine on July 3o to play with Ani DiFranco at the State Theatre. Also on the bill is Tan Vampire’s Jake Mehrmann. The band made a splash a decade ago with the album “For Physical Fitness,” and as a solo performer and with his band, Mehrmann has toured and played with Yo La Tengo, Deer Tick and The Mountain Goats.”
Photo: Joshua Langlais
Birthing center in Bath aims to meet growing demand
May 2, 2022 - Laurie Schreiber
“Plans are in the works to open a birthing center in Bath that’s designed to meet growing customer demand. With the acquisition of 94 Richardson St., Soft Corner Midwifery will increase its clinical space and add a birthing suite. Soft Corner Midwifery is owned by licensed midwife Morgan Miller, who has grown the business from one person to nine in the last two years. “We’re creating a cozy, home-like, inviting environment,” Miller said of renovations that are now underway…
Soft Corner Midwifery is a reproductive care clinic that has been serving clients since 2020 from an office suite at Union + Co., a membership-based co-working, private-office and events venue at 48 Front St. in downtown Bath.
“We pretty quickly outgrew our space,” Miller said.”
Outdoor concert season is happening. Here’s who’s playing where
Details on the biggest shows and concert series throughout the state this summer.
June 21, 2021 - Portland Press Herald
Aimsel Ponti
“What a difference a year makes. With most pandemic restrictions lifted, outdoor live music is bursting at the seams this summer, and you can choose from a variety of genres and venues. From ongoing series to concerts at breweries, wineries and distilleries to big-stage shows at places like Thompson’s Point, take your pick and get ready to finally rock again…
Grant Lot Summer Outdoor Concert Series
7:30 p.m. Fridays through July 30. Lot Behind the Grant Building, 31 Centre St., Bath, $12, free for kids under 12. Grant Lot Summer Outdoor Concert Series on eventbrite.com.
The co-working space Union + Co and indie label Burst & Bloom Records are co-presenting a fantastic series of shows in Bath. Acts are coming to town from New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and right within Maine. Catch feminist punk trio Bait Bag from North Haven Island this weekend and hear them tear through tunes like “Good Guy,” “Girl Pushups” and “Safe Word.” The rest of the lineup is Sojoy on July 2, Dead Gowns & Eliza Edens on July 9, Hello Shark on July 16, Jocelyn Mackenzie on July 23, and The Huntress and Holder of Hands on July 30. Sure, maybe somewhere along the way someone paved paradise and put up a parking lot, but in this case, it’s pretty great.”
Developer seeks community input for future of historic Bath building
May 26, 2021
By Staff, MaineBiz
“‘This kind of project has a long runway,’ he said in a news release. "One of the challenges is how do you get a large project like this ‘off the ground’ — it takes a lot of due diligence and persistence and some creativity."
Ireland is a founder of Union + Co., a coworking, art and innovation space at 48 Front St., as well as of Bath Brewing Co. He's also developer of the Harvey Block/Morris Povich Building and the Medanick Building, both named Maine Preservation Honor Award winners in November.”
FEDERICO GASTALDI FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
April 18, 2021
BY REBECCA M. KNIGHT, Boston Globe
“She found solace renting an office at Union + Co., a co-working space on Front Street in Bath, Maine, a town of 8,000 perhaps best known for the Bath Iron Works shipyard. The space, located in a 19th-century brick building, has touches that would be familiar to anyone who’s been in a co-working space in a big city: high ceilings, abundant succulents, and a Herman Miller aesthetic. But it isn’t, like most co-working spots, situated in a large urban center or run by a national chain like WeWork or Regus.”
Coworking at a crossroads: Shared space was gaining traction, then the pandemic hit
February 8, 2021
By Maureen Milliken, MaineBiz
“And while he, like many of the state’s coworking owners, sees a future with the new residents flocking to the state, he worries something will still be lost. In the five years Think Tank has been in the space, “we’ve become a family.”
Sean Ireland, of Windward Development, agrees. Ireland is one of the developers of Union + Co., which opened in Bath in May 2019. The 14,000-square-foot space combines private offices, art studios and event space.”
Q&A: Co-working venue helps revitalize Bath, while diverse users find space during COVID
November 16, 2020
By Laurie Schreiber, MaineBiz
“Union + Co opened in May 2019 as a membership-based co-working, private-office and events venue, at 48 Front St. in downtown Bath. The concept behind the space: to foster community and economic development in Bath and across Maine's downtown communities.”