PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Fire destroyed the Inn at Diamond Cove in November of 2013, just before it was ready to open. The fire burned everything but the historic old building's brick walls. The owners wanted to rebuild, and they did.
The inn building used to be an Army barracks, part of the former Fort McKinley that was built on the island, starting around 1900. The entire complex of 36 fort buildings had been empty for many years before being purchased in the 1990s by David Bateman. Most of those buildings have now been renovated into homes and condos. Bateman said that with the inn just about complete, there is only one building that hasn't been renovated.
The 44-room inn is scheduled to open July 10. The owners, who also own the Portland Harbor Hotel and a restaurant on the island, sidy they never doubted they could bring the building back from the ashes..
"We're not the first to discover how beautiful it is here," said Bateman,"and we're not the first to want to summer here, but it's taken a hiatus and it's time to return just like that phoenix. Time to be reborn."
Gov. LePage joined the owners, their friends and other Portland-area business people to celebrate the inn's completion.
The governor praised the project and commented on "how beautiful" the building is. The owners said room prices will range from $309 to $565 per night, which General Manager Aaron Black said is "very competitive" with rates at intown Portland hotels.
