higher-end dishes in a boutique-like space. “We searched for years and had given up,” Verrill remembers. “The restaurant market in Portland is incredibly competitive, so we had to find a place that would really make us different, but we couldn’t find that space.” When the real-estate agent walked her
into the abandoned church, Verrill knew it was exactly what she had been looking for. The space was beautiful and provided plenty of inspiration for a new restau- rant. For example, the restaurant’s name, Grace, pays homage to the former church. Triquetra-shaped stained-glass windows became the pattern for Grace’s logo and were replicated in a unique awning above the downstairs bar. “These windows are old leaded stained glass and were misshapen to the point where they didn’t even look like stained glass anymore,” Verrill says. “They bowed so badly we were amazed they didn’t blow out. Not only were they pretty and a perfect logo shape, but the fact that they withstood years of weather without breaking inspired us.” Verrill’s goal was to restore the church
to its original beauty while upgrading it with modern amenities suited to a high- end restaurant. Despite being a straight- forward goal, it did not come without challenges, some of which had nothing to do with the building. For example, Verrill says filing for and receiving historic tax credits was “traumatic.” “We literally got the credits at the 11th hour,” she remem- bers. “It is such a positive program but it is so hard to get—as it should be. It’s a lot of money we’re talking about.” Verrill had built the historic tax credits
into her business plan, so her budget depended on them. “Our budget increased quite a bit when we ran into things we didn’t see coming, like the weather at one point was very cold,” she recalls. “Nobody could work and nothing was drying out- side the building, but we were still paying. If we didn’t have the tax credits, it would’ve
54 RETROFIT // January-February 2013
been difficult.” Verrill adds the state’s refund for historic preservation is spread across four years, which has been espe- cially helpful for the new business. From the time Verrill purchased the
building it took about a year and a half to finance the project and complete the renovation work. The building was in excel- lent structural shape; however, it needed an HVAC system and major electrical upgrades. In addition, the exterior Con- necticut brownstone, which features color- ful swirls of black, brown, gray and red, and its mortar needed extensive repairs. Matching the stonework as required by historic-preservation guidelines took some time. “We basically took the space that was
already there and made it sound again, which shouldn’t have taken terribly long,” Verrill explains. “When you’re four months into finding a mortar color that has the right amount of speckled dust in it, it gets a bit frustrating.” Inside the building, Verrill found a
purpose for nearly everything. Pews were re-covered and reused as bench seating. The former pulpit acts as the host stand. Copper rods from inside the organ’s key- board were repurposed into napkin rings. Rust was removed from ornate floor vents before they were painted and placed on the front of the upstairs bar. “Literally any odd or end we could turn into something, we did,” Verrill says.