BUCKSPORT — A historic hotel in Bucksport that has sat vacant for the better part of a decade could reopen as an assisted living facility early next year.

The owners of the roughly 230-year-old Jed Prouty Inn on Main Street have agreed to sell the building to John and Rhonda Chambers of Calais for an undisclosed price. John Chambers said Sunday that the couple is waiting for a title search and other paperwork to come back but that he hopes the sale will be complete within a few weeks.

The Chambers already operate five senior living facilities in Maine and have been talking with Bucksport officials for some time about establishing a center in the Hancock County town. If everything goes smoothly both with the sale and licensing, the Chambers could begin taking in clients for some of the 16 units planned for the facility as early as next February, although renovations to the exterior of the building will take longer, Chambers said.

“The inside of the building is in quite good shape,” Chambers said. “The outside is in quite rough shape.”

Built sometime around 1780, the building now known as the Jed Prouty Inn was initially a two-family home for a before being converted to a hotel. Over the centuries, the inn’s clients included presidents Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, John Tyler and William Henry Harrison as well as statesman Daniel Webster.

Admiral Robert Peary, who is credited with leading the first expedition to the North Pole, reportedly stayed at the inn for an extended period while his expedition’s ship was under construction nearby.

But the last business to occupy the building — also an assisted living facility — moved out in the spring of 2004, but not before undertaking extensive renovations and improvements to bring it up to code. Overall, however, the building has been vacant for much of the past quarter century and is in need of considerable work, including replacing the sagging front porch and rebuilding a retaining wall at the rear of the property.

Town officials have been hoping a new owner would come forward to save a building that has anchored Bucksport’s Main Street for nearly three centuries. At the same time, town officials have identified the lack of housing options for seniors is a major concern.

Last week, the Town Council voted to extend the Chambers a $200,000 loan to help cover the costs of the renovations after local residents strongly endorsed the idea.

Town Manager Roger Raymond said the Chambers will have to meet a series of criteria — including providing proof of a viable business plan — in order to receive the money. In turn, the loan gradually would be forgiven as long as the assisted living facility remained in business.

“They have been very, very supportive and very helpful,” Chambers said of town officials. “They need the services we provide and are more than willing to go down there” and establish a new facility.

In addition to 17 rooms, the Jed Prouty Inn also features a full commercial kitchen as well as a tavern. The current owner of the building is an asset management company affiliated with the Lehman Brothers financial firm.