Home Buying

On Mount Desert Island, an eclectic cliff estate for $985k

Property has a main house, a carriage house apartment, a Japanese tea house, stone lions, iron peacocks, and more.

By Megan Johnson

November 4, 2024

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If your home decor is eclectic, you’ll fit right in at “Rockridge.” The unusual escape, located on Maine’s Mount Desert Island, is listed at $985,000.

Set on a 1.27-acre lot surrounded by lush trees that overlook a fjärd, the property was built in 1998 by then-owner Thomas Leddy, who had a taste for Old World architecture. He brought on local architect Chris Wiggins to construct the four-bed, three-bath estate at 2 Pine Ridge Road, consisting of several structures tucked inside Hall Quarry.

At the driveway’s entrance, you’ll find a stone gate with two carved stone lions and a natural gate made of woven timber.

There’s a total of 2,773 square feet of living space in the main house and studio apartment. The main structure welcomes guests under a sign reading “Rockridge.”

Step inside, and you’ll find a living room filled with intricately stenciled, hand-painted walls. Two giant pillars serve as an entry point, and the space expands to a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows highlighting the island’s natural beauty.

“When you walk in the front door, you literally look straight through between those pillars, out the glass doors, [and] out to the fjärd with the mountains on the other side of it,” said Jeffrey Miller of Coastal Maine Realty, the broker who has the listing.

The next stop is the kitchen, which features stainless steel appliances and historic wood cabinetry the designer brought from Morocco. The dining room, which was part of a more recent addition, features intricately painted walls and ceilings that resemble natural wood. There’s a quartet of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the woods.

The first floor also houses two bedrooms. While the first is traditional, the second features the same painted ceilings and natural wood walls. A door opens to a porch.

The primary suite takes up the entire second floor. The hand-painted walls are British-inspired, with faux columns painted around the windows. A stained-glass window taken from a sea captain’s quarters casts colorful hues on the floor. Two closets flank the window. The en-suite bath offers a clawfoot tub and a separate stall shower.

Outside, take the porch steps to the backyard, where a gravel path winds to a gate with peacocks on it. The gate opens to reveal an obelisk that overlooks the mountains and waterfront. Plantings in the yard include everything from blueberries and vining wisteria to Japanese maples and lamb’s ear. You’ll find rough-cut granite all over the property, a product of its history as a working quarry. Living up to its name, Rockridge terminates in a cliff overlooking the water.

“I’d say the cliff is probably a good 20 or 25 feet,” said Jacob Pollien, who owns the property with his wife, Jessica.

“When the snow melts in the spring, we get a noticeable, but not huge, waterfall off the side of it, which is kind of fun,” Jessica added.

The second structure is a garage and apartment topped by a Russian-style parapet. You’ll find a two-car garage, laundry and utility rooms, and storage space on the ground level. The second story holds a studio apartment. Here, seashell pillars ascend to ceilings that appear to be three-dimensional but are instead intricately painted. The dining room area has similarly painted ceilings filled with Renaissance-style cherubs.

“People are often surprised when they see naked angels on the ceiling,” Jessica said.

The studio has a small porch that’s roomy enough for two chairs. It looks out over the property’s third structure, a Japanese tea house. While the tea house is not included in the square footage due to its three-season function, it’s a unique space constructed of thick, dark wood. The tall ceiling has arches that crisscross, and a propane fireplace keeps the uninsulated structure warm. There’s also a screened-in porch, a small kitchen with a mini-fridge and stove top, and a full bathroom. The tea house overlooks a small pond and greenery. There’s also a gazebo on the property, which has a chandelier and outlets.

The Polliens purchased the home at the end of 2018, and rent it out as a vacation home.

Follow Megan Johnson on X @megansarahj and Address @globehomes.