When Matt Powell and George Trinovitch arrived in Castine to take over the Pentagöet Inn, they stepped into a historic building full of beauty, mystery, and unanswered questions. They knew the inn dated to 1894, but much of its early story had slipped out of view. “We came in and it was a blank slate,” Matt says. “The first thing we did was go straight to the Castine Historical Society.”

There, archivists brought out old menus, brochures, pricing lists from the 1970s, and a singular treasure: an original photograph of the inn from the year it opened. It also introduced them to the woman behind it all, Lizzie Lovejoy (later Moon) a twenty-four-year-old entrepreneur who built the Pentagoet at a time when opportunities for women were rare. Recently widowed and determined to help revive a town hit hard by losses in the Civil and Spanish wars, she looked to the growing tourism in Bar Harbor and believed Castine could be part of that same future.

“She named it Pentagöet after the original French fort here,” Matt explains. “The word comes from the Wabanaki language and translates to ‘where the waters meet.’” That sense of convergence has come to shape their stewardship of the inn.

Matt and George reached Castine by their own winding paths. Matt spent years in New York’s food world, first in pastry kitchens, then at Bon Appétit, and later at marketing firms helping restaurants grow nationally. George arrived in New York in 2013, starting in modeling before moving behind the scenes into set styling and interior design. “I found my happiness creating spaces that tell a story,” he says. Their New York apartment became a richly layered, vintage-inspired space. Friends said it felt like stepping into an old hotel. In hindsight, it was a preview of what was coming.

The Pentagöet offered a canvas much bigger than any city apartment. Their first major task was renewing the pub, a beloved room in town memory. Under previous owners, it had been dark and eclectic, filled with memorabilia collected over decades. When the sale transferred, that collection left, and the men received the room as a nearly empty white space. “We had two days before the Fourth of July to bring it back to life,” George says.

They renamed it “Mister’s Pub,” after their mini schnauzer, and furnished it quickly with pieces that aligned with the era, including many antiques they already owned. Over time, friends and guests began gifting items from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, nudging the space toward a slightly theatrical, Victorian character. Barnum and Bailey artifacts appeared, a nod to a form of entertainment that would have been enormously popular when the inn was built. And it wouldn’t be Mister’s without several dog statuettes, art pieces, tapestries, and lighting pieces. A favorite pastime in the space is counting just how many canines are inside. It makes for a spirited and visual feast. If something does not exist, I make it,” George says. He sews curtains, trims lampshades, and sources period pieces with a perfectionist’s eye. The result is a moody, enveloping pub that feels timeless.

The inn’s guest rooms reflect the same care. Eleven are in the main building, with five more in the Perkins House annex, a building acquired by the in in the late 70s, across a newly refreshed courtyard. When they arrived, the courtyard was beautiful in concept but needed definition. A grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation helped them restore the original corner staircase on Main Street and spurred on the reimagining of the courtyard. The final result creates a graceful path between the two buildings and adds outdoor dining that is now one of the restaurant’s most requested areas. “It ties everything together,” George says. “It feels cohesive now.”

Inside, each public room has a distinct personality. The back dining room, a 1970s addition that had long felt unfinished, is now the moody “garden room,” a space that fills with bright light in the morning and transforms into a lush smoking lounge during the evening dining service. The piano room has its own story: soon after they arrived, the Universalist church up the street offered them a Knabe grand piano. Later, a local historian unearthed sheet music for “The Pentagöet Waltz,” written for the inn’s opening. Matt learned to play it. “I picture the ghosts of those first guests dancing,” he says. “It brings the past back.”

The restaurant has undergone the most significant transformation. When they took over, it had been scaled down to tapas. Locals urged them to restore a full dining experience. They listened, then asked the community to submit family recipes tied to Maine. The flood of responses helped shape a menu of “Maine comfort food,” as George calls it. He recreated a long-remembered lobster pot pie, and Matt added cod and crab dishes reflecting traditional preparations combined with his years in kitchens. In collaboration with Pugnut’s, a local creamery, they introduced their house ice cream, the “MAINEhattan,” a bourbon vanilla with black Maine cherries that pays homage to their New York roots and their new Maine home.

They are hands-on in every sense. Matt leads the kitchen, develops recipes, manages marketing, and handles guest communication. George tends to design, bartending, room checks, and repairs. Their staff is loyal and steady, and the men see the inn as inseparable from the health of the town.

“The success of your inn depends on the success of your community,” Matt says. They support other business owners, share knowledge freely, and take pride in the renewed energy in Castine’s small business scene.

Today, the Pentagöet feels like a place where history, craft, and imagination meet. The rooms glow in the evenings. The piano plays again. The pub hums with conversation. And the Victorian spirit that Lizzie set in motion more than a century ago feels newly alive.

FAMOUS FOR:
Their restored Victorian charm, the unforgettable atmosphere of Mister’s Pub, and a restaurant that brings back beloved Maine comfort dishes like lobster pot pie, cod, and their signature MAINEhattan ice cream.

ADDRESS:
26 Main St, Castine, ME

WEBSITE:
pentagoet.com