BANGOR, ME– A dispute that has stretched for nearly a year over a roof in Bangor’s Broadway Historic District ended Thursday when the city’s Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved a homeowner’s asphalt roof that mimics slate.
Steven Farren, who owns a home built between 1850 and 1864, had replaced his deteriorating slate roof earlier this year with asphalt shingles resembling slate, despite previous denials from the city. The board’s vote granted retroactive approval, concluding that requiring Farren to install a new slate roof would be unreasonably burdensome.
Commission chair Edmund Chernesky acknowledged the importance of preserving slate roofs but said the commission must weigh practicality alongside history.
Farren, who is also running for City Council, said he was relieved.
The approval followed months of hearings, appeals, and postponements. Farren first sought permission in November 2024, but commissioners rejected the request, citing city rules requiring repair or replacement with slate. After his roof’s condition worsened and his insurance company threatened to drop coverage, Farren went ahead with a $60,000 asphalt roof, far less than the estimated $220,000 to $260,000 a slate replacement would have cost.
City officials issued a violation, which Farren, who is running for city council, appealed. The Board of Appeals upheld the city’s ruling in May, keeping the dispute alive until this week’s vote.
The commission’s decision was also marked by internal controversy. Members voted that commissioner Anne Marie Quin should be recused due to a conflict of interest after she received outside information and conducted her own research on the case.
