The Kennebec Room Opens in a 1903 Water Street Warehouse, Keeping the Pub-and-Lounge Layout Riverfront Left Behind

The building at 300 Water Street went up in 1903 as a warehouse. It held paper, magazines and catalogs that were made and printed in Maine, then shipped out through the granite post office across the street, now the Old Federal Building, and down the Kennebec to wherever they were headed. For 20 years it moved plates of slow-smoked ribs downstairs and martinis upstairs. Since late September it has been doing nearly the same job under a new name and new owners.

What carried over is the layout: a restaurant on the ground floor and a bar on the floor above. Riverfront Barbeque & Grille and The Gin Mill ran that way. The Kennebec Room and The Nightcap Lounge run that way now. On Water Street the building stays put and the businesses inside it change, and this building shows that more clearly than most.

Three uses, one floor plan

Here is the address in order:

1. 1903. Built as a storage warehouse for Maine-made paper goods heading out by post office and river.
2. Riverfront Barbeque & Grille and The Gin Mill, for 20 years until July 18, 2026. City Manager Jared Mills' July 13 weekly report to the City Council called owner Patrick Quigg "a stalwart supporter of downtown Augusta throughout his tenure." The same report said he had sold the building and would close both businesses on July 18.
3. The Kennebec Room and The Nightcap Lounge, from late September 2026. Portland Food Map reported both opened in late September. It described the downstairs room as "upscale American pub food" and put the cocktail bar on the floor above.

Riverfront's last version gives a sense of what the room was used to. Its own site described a restaurant open seven days a week, 363 days a year, serving Memphis-rub ribs, pulled pork, brisket and smoked chicken. Upstairs, The Gin Mill opened Thursday through Saturday with more than 125 beers, single malts, a long martini list and live music. When the city first announced the new tenants in July, the plan already followed that shape: "a ground-floor pub featuring elevated comfort food and local drafts" and "an upstairs craft cocktail lounge."

The Kennebec Room's own site describes itself with "wood-smoke, a proper bar, and a table worth lingering at, on the banks of the Kennebec in downtown Augusta." Wood smoke on the ground floor of 300 Water Street is nothing new.

Who's running it now

The owners are Joc Caldwell and Mallori Park. They operate as Caldwell & Park Hospitality, in partnership with Tobias Parkhurst of Cushnoc Brewing Co. In its July report the city called Caldwell and Park "Augusta downtown veterans." A few blocks up the street, State Lunch at 217 Water Street lists Park as its lead bartender.

On The Kennebec Room's website, Caldwell describes years spent "pouring everything I have into other people's celebrations" before deciding:

"It's finally time to build something of my own."

On the same page, Park writes that "after nearly a decade bartending across Maine," she is "excited to create a space where those stories can be shared and new ones can begin."

That background fits the building. Owners who spent their careers behind bars took over a building whose upstairs has been a bar for two decades, and they kept it one. Parkhurst's name links the room to a downtown brewer too. Cushnoc Brewing Co. is one of the nine members of the city's first Venture Forward Augusta cohort, an eight-week business program run with Northeastern University's Roux Institute.

The Kennebec Journal covered the opening on November 7. The restaurant's site lists hours of Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the phone number (207) 213-4062.

About two months between last call and reopening

Riverfront closed on July 18. The Kennebec Room opened in late September, roughly two months later. The city's July report said the new operators were "already hiring bartenders and servers" before Riverfront had even closed.

The same report described the quick handoff as part of a larger pattern. It said that over the past two years, when downtown restaurant spaces turned over, "they have been re-occupied almost immediately by entrepreneurs who see the opportunity." It named Two Maine Guys, Smush Cookie Creamery and the Capital Grill, then added The Kennebec Room and The Nightcap Lounge to that list.

On Water Street, by the city's account, a closed restaurant has usually meant a new name under the same roof soon after. At 300 Water Street the new tenant also kept the same two-floor setup, so people who knew the old place will find their way around the new one.

The sidewalk out front was rebuilt this year

This fall the building isn't the only thing downtown visitors will notice. In mid-July, the same city report that announced Riverfront's closing said Water Street reconstruction was in its "home stretch." Concrete work was set to start July 14 near the Downtown Diner, move south to Winthrop Street, then come back north along the east side of the street.

The City of Augusta's 2026 third-quarter report, published October 20, lists the Water Street Pedestrian Safety Improvements project as completed. The project's stated focus was sidewalks, lighting and crosswalks. So the restaurant that took over a 1903 building opened onto a sidewalk poured that same summer. This is the finished street's first Christmas season.

Thanksgiving weekend, from River of Trees to the tree lighting

The weekend after Thanksgiving brings the Augusta Downtown Alliance's annual River of Trees to 244 Water Street. Visitors bid on more than 30 holiday trees, each decorated with items worth $300 or more. This year's theme is The Polar Express. Proceeds go to the Alliance and to the Colonial Theater's ongoing restoration, and the Colonial Theater is providing refreshments. The presenting sponsors are Lajoie Brothers Construction and Kennebec Savings Bank.

Saturday, November 28, is the busiest day. The city's third-quarter report lists Santa's Arrival & Downtown Tree Lighting Celebration, with fireworks, on that date. Old Fort Western's section of the same report calls it the Victorian Christmas, or Augusta Tree-Lighting Celebration. The River of Trees listing puts the tree lighting in Market Square Park.

On Saturday, River of Trees runs until 8 p.m., and the posted hours at 300 Water Street run an hour later. For holiday-weekend hours, check with the restaurant directly. For the latest River of Trees details, go to the Augusta Downtown Alliance's River of Trees page.

The holiday season continues after that weekend. The city's parks crews are setting up community ice rinks at Mill Park and Williams Park with evening lighting, and the Recreation Bureau has The Grinch on the calendar for a movie night at Buker Community Center on December 12.

At Hoang Realty, we pay attention to Water Street's century-old buildings and the people who keep them open. If you own one of those buildings, or a home near downtown, and want to talk about what its history means today, Hoa and the team would be glad to walk downtown with you. Start Your Search with us whenever you're ready.