A picturesque inn on the Maine coast has changed hands at a steeply reduced price, just two months after its owner and another man were discovered dead inside the property in circumstances that remain unresolved.
The Lindenwood Inn in Southwest Harbor was put on the market for $2.25 million roughly a month after former owner James King and Randy Murray were found dead at the lodge on May 1, according to Bar Harbor Story.
Authorities have said the deaths of the two 69-year-old men were being treated as “accidental.”
The matter remains under review by the state chief medical examiner’s office.
While that investigation continues, a bank on July 17 approved a $1.75 million loan for Diana Chiriac and Tsvetomir Nikolov to acquire the three-story inn, which sits close to the harbor.
The 7,950-square-foot property includes 11 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, according to Zillow.
King, an Australia native, had owned the lodge since 1993, when he bought the property more than three decades ago, according to the inn’s former website cited by Bar Harbor Story.
“Jim [King] immediately got to work putting his touch on the Inn as he made the repairs and started welcoming guests,” the website previously stated.
The Lindenwood Inn, located in Southwest Harbor, Maine was listed for $2.25million about a month after its previous owner was found dead inside. According to Zillow, the three-story lodge was built in 1904 and has 11-bedrooms with 13-bathrooms
James King (pictured), and Randy Murray, both 69, were found dead inside the property on May 1. Officials are still investigating their cause of death but believed it to be accidental
‘He planned to run the inn for about five years, yet he felt the island’s pull as he returned to open the Inn each season,’ the website read.
The inn’s webpage previously detailed how King loved connecting with guests and welcoming them into the space he curated over the years.
‘He knows we are all on a journey and appreciates the opportunity to provide travelers with modern comforts and simple luxuries during their stay at Lindenwood Inn,’ the website noted.
In 2018, King listed the inn for sale for $1.7million hoping to go back to Australia and had high hopes for the next owners.
‘I want the new innkeeper to be able to continue with the same experience,’ he told Maine Biz.
‘To take everything out would spoil it. So I’m leaving some nice things and the whole place will be ready to go. I’ve had people say, for 25 years, that they like the style. That’s the core of the Lindenwood — the artifacts and the artwork.’
RELATED: Chicago’s Shuttered Weiss Memorial Hospital Gets 6 Months to Fix Violations
He called the inn an extension of himself but looked forward to the next stage of his life outside of Maine.
‘But I’m 62 this year. I’m looking at a different time of my life,’ he told the outlet about eight years ago.
‘It will be nice to see younger people take it up. Half of it is about energy. I’m hoping the next person coming in will feel that. It’s a magical place.’
In 2019, King lost his partner Fred Hallaby who died of a heart attack who was on trip to Australia.
King, who was originally from Australia, purchased the property in 1993 and planned to sell the property in 2018 for $1.7million to return down under
According to the outlet the King and Hallaby were a staple of the community.
In the wake of his death, the site was temporarily shut down and now appears to make no mention of King.
The webpage now shares the history of the property, which was built more than a century ago.
‘Lindenwood Inn is more than a place to stay, it’s a storied escape where ocean breezes whisper secrets of the past,’ reads the updated website.
‘Built in 1904 for sea captain Olas Mills and his wife Nettie, this grand coastal home has stood just steps from the ocean in the quiet village of Southwest Harbor for over a century.’
The website added that in the 1970s, it became a lodge for travelers.
Before his death he told Maine Bizz in 2018: ‘I want the new innkeeper to be able to continue with the same experience.’ King’s property is now being purchased by Diana Chiriac and Tsvetomir Nikolov, about two months after his death
Despite the owner’s recent death, many of the rooms are booked through September.
The price of accommodations for a weekend in August can cost guests anywhere from $479 per night to $939 for a penthouse stay.
Travelers who purchased rooms also faced ‘difficulties’ after King died, as the inn was closed for a period of time but has since reopened, according to the outlet.
The new owners told Bar Harbor Story that they fell in love with the island and added that the inn was a new venture for them.
