The Kingsleigh Inn in Southwest Harbor, ME, will be converted to workforce housing for Acadia National Park seasonal employees/Friends of Acadia, Julia Walker Thomas

A bed-and-breakfast inn on Mount Desert Island in Maine is being transformed into housing for seasonal employees at Acadia National Park thanks to Friends of Acadia.

The friends group earlier this month acquired the Kingsleigh Inn in Southwest Harbor and plans to convert it into workforce housing for seasonal park employees.

Though Friends of Acadia owns the property, it will be managed and operated by Acadia National Park in similar fashion to existing park housing. The building has eight bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms and a two-bedroom “owners” apartment, so the plan is to provide seasonal housing for 10 employees. The property will remain on the town’s tax roll.

Friends of Acadia has partnered with the National Park Service to address the housing crisis on Mount Desert Island and its surrounding communities. The housing shortage has a direct impact on Acadia’s ability to hire a seasonal workforce to provide a quality visitor experience, care for cultural and natural resources, make progress on diversity and inclusion initiatives, and advance other strategic priorities.

“Seasonal employees are essential to operating the park and providing visitor services in the park from May to November,” said Acadia Superintendent Kevin Schneider. “Last year, we were not able to fill all of our available seasonal positions largely because of the lack of housing options in and around Acadia. By expanding housing options, the Kingsleigh property will increase our capacity to recruit and retain seasonal staff members. We are incredibly grateful to Friends of Acadia for helping to support this need.” 

Purchase of the Kingsleigh Inn falls within one of several strategies Friends of Acadia is taking in partnership with the National Park Service to expand seasonal workforce housing and address the island's housing crisis.

“Our goal is to add 130 new beds over the next decade for the park and its partners,” said Friends of Acadia President and CEO Eric Stiles. “We’ve developed a three-pronged approach that includes: 1) Adding bedrooms to existing park units, 2) Repurposing commercial properties, like the Kingsleigh Inn; and 3) Constructing new housing units on sites within Acadia. While the permanent solution is to construct new housing units on NPS land that will be of minimal impact to natural resources or the visiting public, more immediate and interim measures are needed. That’s where properties like the Kingsleigh Inn come into play.”

The housing crisis is not unique to Acadia National Park. Rather, it’s an issue faced by many parks throughout the National Park System. “Friends of Acadia is excited to lead by partnering with the NPS to tackle this immense challenge, and we will design our investments to leverage, attract, and maximize federal dollars,” Stiles said.

“It will take all hands-on deck to provide housing for our workforce on MDI and surrounding communities. In doing this work, we are not just addressing the housing problem, but also the equity issue. We’re removing a huge barrier to employment and helping to ensure that employment here remains available and affordable to all,” Stiles said.