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April 17, 2023 Deal Watch

A converted rail yard, former inn and old Victorian are being transformed into a new hospitality collection in Kent

HBJ PHOTO | MICHAEL PUFFER Lulu McPhee, co-owner of the new Kent Collection, stands inside a former rail baggage car being converted into a short-term rental cottage in the quaint center of Kent.
By Michael Puffer

A bunkhouse, station master’s cottage and former baggage car that served a rail line passing through the town of Kent’s retail center are being turned into short-term rentals for visitors to this peaceful corner of the Litchfield hills.

The three small structures co-located on the Kent Station property had most recently served as art galleries and retail shops. Soon, they will be rented out as cottages for $500 to $1,000 a night, aimed at tourists visiting the scenic community or three nearby exclusive boarding schools.

Formally known as the “Garden Cottages,” they are one of three separate hospitality venues in Kent’s town center being developed into “The Kent Collection” by John and Lulu McPhee. The couple for years has enjoyed the tranquility of Litchfield’s wooded hills from their weekend home in New Milford.

During the pandemic, they watched as local inns were bought and converted into private residences by a small wave of newcomers.

“So, there was an increase in demand and a decrease in supply, which basic economics would tell you is a good thing for opportunities like this,” said John McPhee, who is CEO of New York-based upscale furnishings and decor retailer Chilewich.

McPhee said the couple is spending “multiple millions” on their new luxury boutique lodging investment.

It began with their March 2021 purchase of the Kent Station property for $450,000. That’s being converted into the Garden Cottages, which will debut in the coming weeks.

Rates will range from $500 to $550 nightly for a stay in “The Train Car,” to $950 to $1,000 for the “Bunk House.”

HBJ PHOTO | MICHAEL PUFFER
Lulu McPhee, co-owner of the new Kent Collection, hangs onto the side of a former rail baggage car being converted into a short-term rental cottage in the quaint center of Kent.

Next, the McPhees in October 2021 bought an 1890-vintage Victorian in Kent center. The five-room North Main Street property — branded “The Victorian” — was fully renovated last year and opened in January, with rates running from $350 to $775 nightly.

The couple paid $1.16 million for the Victorian, but the purchase price included a neighboring eight-unit apartment building that’s not part of the Kent Collection.

Finally, in April 2022, the McPhees paid $1.2 million for the former Starbuck Inn, also on North Main Street. That’s being converted into the seven-suite “Firefly Inn,” which is expected to debut in early June, with rates ranging from $325 to $650 nightly.

“We bought one little property,” John McPhee said. “Then another became available, and we were like: ‘Ok, we’ll do that.’ Then the third one came up, and we were like: ‘If we are going to be in this, we may as well really be in it.’ Within a relatively short period of time, we acquired three fairly unique properties, all very central to the town of Kent.”

Lulu McPhee has headed up the near-complete gutting, retrofitting and furnishing of the buildings. She’s salvaged much of the antique elements and exercised tasteful artistic flair to create spaces that range from crisp and elegant rooms in The Victorian, to campy and fun spaces in the Garden Cottages.

The McPhee’s experience with rental properties goes back to their days as students at Santa Clara University, where John bought multiple houses around the campus for student living.

They still own retail property in California and had been looking for investment opportunities in Litchfield County.

“There is a real need for (hospitality properties) up in this area,” Lulu McPhee said. “I think this area has been a little bit off the radar, which those of us who live in this area love, but there is a lot here. I think it is so charming here, very much in tune with nature. It has been underappreciated, I think.”

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