Portland’s Northern Light Mercy Hospital will soon undergo some reconstruction and be converted into a Nightingale apartment building in Maine. Redfern Properties and NewHeight Group are the developers working on transforming the historic hospital into a 260-unit apartment. The new apartment pays homage to the nursing pioneer, Florence Nightingale, who once served within its halls.
This is the first time the developers have taken on a hospital to housing project, like the Nightingale apartments. They also recognise the historic value and history behind the project and are not taking the assignment lightly. Especially since the Mercy Hospital building dates back to 1941 and continued operations until it finally closed last year. The hospital moved all its operations to a new Fore River Parkway campus location.
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Development plans for the Nightingale apartment building
Upon completion, the seven-story  Nightingale apartments building at 144 State St. will feature 165 studio and one-bedroom apartments. However, the developers intend to reserve 17 of the apartments for workforce housing. These units will be available for those earning 100% or less of the area’s median income. Apartments will have rents ranging from $1,500 to $2,800 monthly.Â
Residents at the Nightingale apartments will have access to several shared amenities like a fitness and yoga center, and library. Additionally, the property also includes a billiards room, rooftop deck coworking space and pet spa. NewHeight Redfern is also constructing four retail spaces at the building’s ground floor. Chocolats Passion has already taken one of the retail spaces for its chocolate shop.
The developers expect move-ins for the first 103 units at the Nightingale apartments to commence in October. While the remaining 62 apartments will be ready for occupancy by January. According to the developers, the pre-leasing for the first set of apartments will soon begin.
Jonathan Culley of Redfern also pointed out the former hospital building has space remaining which wasn’t usable for apartments. It’s a dark 45,000-square-foot space which previously housed the hospital’s kitchen, phlebotomy lab and morgue. Culley said the space could be used as a self-storage facility at the Nightingale apartments for both tenants and the public.
