KENNEBUNK — If the owners of the Wedding Cake House, Hunt and Katie Edwards, have their way, the nearly two-century-old historic property will be used as an event space and inn to generate revenue for the house’s costly upkeep.
But if a vocal coalition of neighbors have their way, they will do no such thing – citing concerns about noise, traffic and decreased property values.
The owners of the Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk are seeking permission to use the barn and carriage house as event space, the revenue from which they say would help cover the $1 million cost to restore the house’s elaborate trim. Some neighbors oppose the idea. Gregory Rec photo/Press Herald
The public will have a chance to weigh in on a proposed contract zone agreement for the property on Jan. 9.
At its last meeting on Dec. 12, the Kennebunk Select Board discussed a proposed contract zone that would allow the owners to operate the property as an inn and event space, including as a wedding venue, and moved to hold a public hearing in the new year. It will be the third public hearing held in seven months on the issue.
The contract zone would need voter sign-off in order to be enacted, and the board will decide whether it will go on the March 5 ballot that same evening (Jan. 9) following the public hearing.
The Wedding Cake House, which earns its nickname from the icing-like turrets and spires adorning the outside, is considered one of the most romantic houses in New England. Though the story doesn’t line up with history, legend has it that the builder of the house, George Washington Bourne, designed the exterior to be like a wedding cake for his bride, who he was forced to leave on their wedding night for a trip at sea.
Hunt Edwards inherited the house, located on Summer Street, from his uncle in 2020, who purchased the home in 1998. The couple say they have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on restoration so far. They estimate that it will cost over a million to restore the trim and keep it looking like a wedding cake.
On Nov. 13, the planning board voted to send the contract zone agreement with a positive recommendation to the select board, with one planning board member, Richard Smith, in opposition.
Eight members of the public voiced their opposition to the contract zone on Nov. 13, among them were two neighbors who have spearheaded a group called “Friends of the Wedding Cake House,” to galvanize opposition to the project, Gayle and David Spofford. The Spoffords live next door to the Wedding Cake House.
Another Kennebunk resident, Joan Pinto, lives three doors away from the Wedding Cake House and implored planning board members to consider whether they would want this business next to their home.
“We will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in property value for our home, and the (negative impact on our) quality of life in having 150 people every weekend on Saturday and Sunday is going to be incredible,” Pinto said.
Hunt and Katie Edwards have agreed to limit the number of guests at any given event to 150 and agreed that no outdoor music can be played after 9 p.m. They’ve also agreed to a limit of hosting 20 outdoor, tented events a year.
At the Nov. 13 meeting, the planning board attempted to assuage concerns by reminding attendees that if the contract zone is approved by voters, the project would go back through planning board and undergo further scrutiny.
Prior to the planning board’s vote, the owners were growing tired of what they saw as an overly dragged out process. In frustration, Hunt Edwards reportedly threatened to sell the property at a meeting in October as the board mulled holding a second public hearing.
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