KINGFIELD — The Inn on Winter’s Hill, a century-old inn designed by the Stanley brothers and once owned by the founder of Sugarloaf Ski Resort, has been purchased by a Maine native and hotel industry manager.

John E. Banta, who has worked in leadership roles for Hyatt Hotels and Miyako Hotels and Resorts in Japan, bought the inn for $575,000. He plans to reopen this month and make $300,000 worth of improvements in the next few years, according to Mainebiz.

The Georgian Revival-style mansion was built by Amos Winter Sr. as a wedding present for his wife, Julia. It was designed by Francis Edgar Stanley and Freelan O. Stanley, inventors of the Stanley Steamer steam engine, according to a Snow Country magazine story.

Winter’s son, Amos Winter Jr., founded Sugarloaf ski resort. He sold the mansion in 1953, according to Mainebiz.

The mansion section of the inn has four king-size bedrooms and two suites; another section offers 16 rooms. The two are joined by a lounge and an adjacent indoor pool.

According to Mainebiz, Banta said of the house’s Georgian Revival design, “That kind of architectural detailing can’t be reproduced now. It was a huge attraction.”

For more information and photos, go to Mainebiz.com.

— Staff report


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