1. NOV//DEC 2015
Triathlon Training with Linda Banks Flaming Martinis at Crooners & Cocktails Where to Ice Skate Outdoors
PORTLAND'S
CITY MAGAZINE
A CITY REACHES
FOR NEW HEIGHTS
90+ LOCAL FINDS FOR
EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST
A first look at 118 on Munjoy Hill
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4. Nov//Dec 2015 79
HOMEON THE
Hill
MAINE ART
COLLECTORS
DON HEAD AND
CARON ZAND
DISCOVER THE
UPSIDES OF
DOWNSIZING
AT 118 ON
MUNJOY HILL.
Don Head and Caron Zand’s collection of
Maine art is spilling out into the hallway of
Portland’s new boutique condo development,
located at 118 Congress Street. Walking out
of the elevator on the afternoon of my visit,
I pause before a dreamy skyscape of warm
purples. Don Head opens the door before I
have time to knock, welcoming me through
the art-lined entry of their home to the
expansive living space of the fourth-floor
unit, featuring the most dynamic views of
Portland that I have ever seen. Across two
walls of windows, each pane contains a
unique portrait of the city. Zand pours me a
glass of cold water and graciously indulges
my urge to identify: House Island and its
fairytale fort; Portland Head Light; the
Time and Temperature Building; Maine
Medical Center topping the subtle rise of the
peninsula’s West End; Back Cove at high tide;
the White Mountains making an appearance
as faded caps of blue on the horizon.
“We traded in a view that had nothing to do
with people, for one that has everything to do
with people,” says Head, going on to describe
the landscape they left behind in Cape
Elizabeth, of woods surrounding a wide-open
view of Spurwink Marsh. Both retired, a few
years ago the couple began to flirt with the
idea of downsizing. While they loved their
home on the marsh, they didn’t love the
upkeep it required. Condo living would free
up time and money to travel, and city living in
particular appealed to them—they wanted to
be able to run errands on foot and to be part
of a vibrant and diverse community.
The expansive westward view from the
rooftop deck, punctuated with sculpture
by Maine artist Dick Alden and a linen
throw by local designer Piper Designs.
Photography by Myriam Babin by Sophie Nelson Styling by Janice Dunwoody
5. 80 Old Port oldport.com
“We’ve always been downtown people,
but now we can walk to the symphony, or
to Portland Stage,” says Head. Adds Zand:
“Walking has become really important. We
haven’t discussed it seriously, but becoming
a one-car family wouldn’t be hard here. We
went down to Harbor Fish Market the other
night to pick up fish for dinner, then went to
Rosemont for our veggies. Living together
in a building with our neighbors so close
together, it’s a different lifestyle. I’m very
social, so I like it.”
When they began to investigate the real
estate options in Portland, their friend John
Ryan of Wright-Ryan clued Head and Zand
in on a project his construction firm was
working on at 118 Congress Street. At that
point, the 12-unit development, headed by
husband-and-wife team Chip Newell and
Susan Morris of the NewHeight Group
and their partner Ed Theriault, was still
very much in its infancy. Prior to moving
to Boothbay Harbor over a decade earlier,
Newell and Morris had lived in Washington,
D.C., where Newell worked as a real estate
developer for years and Morris worked in
marketing. Portland combined what they
loved best about city living and Maine
living, and after identifying an opportunity
to develop prime property at the apex of
Munjoy Hill, the pair set about designing
their dream home in the city, confident that
there were others in Maine who would join
them.
“When you live in a place like Portland,
the businesses within walkable distance
around you—Rosemont Market, Hilltop
Coffee, the yoga studios and gyms and
parks—become an extension of your
home,” says Morris, who did exhaustive
research on condo living while working
with Archetype Architects, which designed
the condominiums. The units are between
1,550 and 2,200 square feet, and each room
is designed with the potential to serve dual
or triple purposes so as to make the most of
the space, the natural light, and the views.
Local art was intentionally incorporated
in the building’s public spaces. Passersby
will notice picture windows containing
sculptures by Maine artists Lin Lisberger,
Dick Alden, Sharon Townshend, and Jac
Ouellette running through the center of the
building.
Because the NewHeight Group’s plans
allowed them to customize the design
of their condo, Head and Zand chose to
incorporate many of the same colors
and materials they enjoyed in their Cape
Elizabeth property, including paint colors
118 on Munjoy Hill from the street
perspective. Opposite: A view of
Casco Bay, framed with a stained
glass piece by Laura Fuller, whose
storefront is across the street from
the building’s entrance.
7. “Walking has become really
important...We went down
to Harbor Fish Market the
other night to pick up fish
for dinner, then went to
Rosemont for our veggies.”
8. Nov//Dec 2015 83
Caron Zand flips through a
cookbook in the beautifully lit,
art-filled butler’s pantry.
9. 84 Old Port oldport.com
that they knew would complement their
art collection. It took time for them to get a
feeling for the space and to find each piece
of artwork’s rightful home within the home.
Despite limitations set by walls of windows
and half the square footage, with the help
of friends like Peggy Greenhut Golden
of Greenhut Galleries, Head and Zand
found a way to display almost their entire
collection.
In general, Head and Zand are enjoying
their new perspective on the art that is
by now deeply familiar to them. “Friends
will say, ‘Where was this piece before?
I don’t remember seeing it,’” says Zand.
“Something about the layout here. You’re
closer to the work, you get a different feel
for it.”
A variety of Maine and Italian landscape
paintings hang salon-style in the warmly
lit butler’s pantry, filled with sparkling
glassware. Off the entry, in a lofted space
which serves as an office and library (and,
thanks to the unit’s smart design, provides
hidden storage below) there is a painting
by Beverly Hallam, as well as prints and
proofs by Will Barnet and Salvador Dalí.
To the west is the Portland Observatory,
which Head helped raise funds to renovate
back in 1998 and where he volunteers as
a docent. To the right of the fireplace, two
paintings by Joel Babb depict the stunning
architecture of the Old Port’s Middle Street.
During my visit, a tanker floats in front of
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, the tide
is high in Back Cove, and the blue sky is
spotted with cumulus clouds. This interplay
of Maine artwork and artful views of the
harbor, peninsula, and cove distinguish Don
Head and Caron Zand’s home from every
other place I’ve been.
They wouldn’t say so themselves, but I will:
Don Head and Caron Zand have had a direct
impact on Portland’s cultural and economic
growth in recent years. Both moved to the
Portland area in the early 1980s, when the
city was going through tough economic
times. They watched businesses flee
Congress Street as shopping shifted to the
Maine Mall in South Portland. Head laughs
to recall how slim the restaurant options
were when he opened up his investment
business in the Old Port, compared to
the embarrassment of culinary riches we
enjoy today. Head and Zand have helped to
nurture Portland’s art scene in myriad ways
over the past three decades. After working
“We traded
in a view that
had nothing
to do with
people, for
one that has
everything
to do with
people.”
10. Nov//Dec 2015 85
The rooptop view of Portland’s working
waterfront. Opposite: Don Head in the
den, reading below Laurence Sisson’s
Turquoise Tidal Pool.
12. Nov//Dec 2015 87
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PHOTOSEANALONSOHARRIS
in development for MECA, Zand served on its board for 12 years, as
well as on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine
for 20 years. Head currently serves on the board at PortOpera,
and on two advisory boards at the University of Southern Maine.
In addition to volunteering time and energy, the couple has been
patronizing local artists and galleries, filling their own homes with
artwork that holds great meaning for them. Their space is a tribute
to Maine art.
Before I leave, we venture out onto the deck. Outside, the sounds
and smells of Portland combine to create an even stronger sense of
place. We all admire the view toward Casco Bay, but Zand directs
my attention toward the city’s main boulevard. “At nighttime you
can see the lights of traffic on Congress Street all the way up to
MECA,” says Zand. “I find myself being ultimately fascinated with
the cityscapes.”
Commissioned for 118 on Munjoy Hill, this sculpture by
Jac Ouellette is installed on the fourth floor and is one
of several pieces visible from the exterior. Opposite:
Thomas Connolly’s Flags, a painting of Portland’s U.S.
Custom House building.
