WATERVILLE, Maine—Lockwood Hotel is officially open, bringing the first boutique hotel to downtown Waterville’s Main Street in over a century. With a Maine aesthetic, Lockwood Hotel (developed by Colby College and managed by Charlestowne Hotels) allows guests to access the arts, culture, and outdoor attractions in Waterville and beyond.
“Lockwood Hotel is a testament to everything Waterville and central Maine have to offer, and we are eager to introduce the city to a new audience of discerning travelers,” says Jordan Rowan, general manager of Lockwood Hotel. “Waterville’s central location makes Lockwood Hotel the ideal gateway for experiencing the best of Maine—from the nearby hiking trails and renowned Colby College Museum of Art to Acadia National Park, Sugarloaf Ski Area, the mid-coast, and Portland.”
The Lockwood Hotel opening is a milestone in the downtown Waterville revitalization initiative, a collaborative partnership between the city, local businesses, community organizations, and Colby College. Other projects that show the momentum taking place in the city include the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons, a student residential complex on Main Street; Greene Block + Studios, an arts collaborative directly across from the hotel; and the forthcoming Paul J. Schupf Art Center. Additional initiatives downtown involve an infrastructure and landscape improvement project and continued renovation of the Lockwood Mill complex for housing and retail use.
Investments by Colby College to support the resurgence of Waterville have helped attract investors and new businesses to the city, with total investment downtown from public and private sources now close to $200 million. This activity is contributing to the quality of life for residents and growing the city’s arts and culture.
“Lockwood Hotel is central to ensuring Waterville is a vibrant and dynamic city where people want to live, work, and visit,” said Brian Clark, vice president of planning at Colby College. “The hotel and its great restaurant, Front & Main, serve both as a gathering place for the community and as a destination that brings visitors into the heart of downtown.”
Lockwood Hotel honors the city’s commitment to the arts. The hotel has artwork curated by the Colby College Museum of Art on display throughout the public spaces. Guests can view the art gallery setting among fireside seating areas in the lobby, which is designed with natural wood and stone, including reclaimed wood from the Penobscot River.
Each of the 53 hotel rooms and suites has a natural color palette. Wood tones and hints of blue and green create the room’s ambiance. Guests can bring their pets with them, who will receive a Doggie Amenity Package filled with local favorites.
The hotel’s architecture, by the firm Baskervill, represents Waterville’s future. The hotel’s limestone façade is a nod to the tradition of limestone civic buildings throughout downtown. The hotel anchors the south end of Main Street. The hotel’s glass windows allude to the spirit of Waterville, projecting energy in the hotel and restaurant. The landscaped exterior seating areas repurposed the granite that served as the foundation of the clothing store that once stood on the site, Levine’s.
Lockwood Hotel is home to Front & Main, central Maine’s downtown restaurant already known in the local food scene. Helmed by Executive Chef and New England native Jesse Souza, Front & Main emphasizes the importance of sourcing ingredients from the farms and waters throughout Maine. Brunch, lunch, and dinner menus change with the season to show local ingredients and the restaurant’s take on Maine and New England favorites. Lockwood Hotel’s Director of Food & Beverage, John Phillips-Sandy, is a Waterville native overseeing the creation of the cocktail and drink menu for the lobby bar and lounge.
Lockwood Hotel is also a setting for weddings, college events, and graduation celebrations, as well as business meetings in the city. The Front & Main private dining room provides a space for gatherings of up to 14 guests. Off the hotel lobby is the Howard Miller Room, a meeting and event venue with seating for 32 and access to an outdoor terrace. Menus for all events are executed via the Front & Main culinary team and reflect the restaurant’s concepts.
Guests at the Lockwood Hotel can view Waterville’s arts and culture scene. The Colby College Museum of Art is a destination for U.S. art, with its permanent collection having works from Alex Katz, Maya Lin, Georgia O’Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Richard Serra, and James McNeill Whistler, among many others. The Colby Museum will also soon expand to Main Street with the Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center. The Center is also home to community arts organization Waterville Creates, the state’s only Sundance Art House Project cinema, the Maine Film Center, and the Maine International Film Festival. The Waterville Opera House will connect to the Schupf Art Center via a new skywalk. Directly across the street from Lockwood Hotel is Greene Block + Studios.
Lockwood Hotel guests looking to experience Waterville’s outdoors will have access to hiking and biking trails, as well as fly fishing, which can even be done in the Kennebec River across the street from the hotel. Those who venture outside Waterville will find areas such as the Belgrade Lakes, and coastal and mountain destinations like Portland, Camden, Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, and Sugarloaf Ski Area. Lockwood Hotel will soon have a Basecamp Lending Program offering adventure goods such as rain gear and backpacks on loan for guests to take through the state.
