If CVS wants to build in Marion, it will have to find a different corner.

On March 18, Mike and Kate Sudofsky of Sky Development Ltd. signed the papers to purchase the historic Captain Hadley House.

Mark Investment, a development firm hired by CVS, was eying the site for a new branch of the big box store, but putting a proposed 10,000 square foot building on the already busy corner of Front Street and Route 6 didn’t sit well with many residents. There were petitions with signatures in the thousands, Planning Board meetings filled to the brim with vocal residents and a Facebook page named “Stop CVS at Marion’s Historical Entrance.”

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Sudofskys, the Sippican Historical Society and the Croll Foundation were working to prevent the brand from moving to the corner. An adjacent lot was already under agreement with CVS, so the group looked to the corner.

The building currently serves as offices for several companies, much like the office building at 163 Front St. that the Sudofskys also own (and in which Sippican Week has its office).

Preserving the corner is important for many who see it as the entrance to the Village, a “welcome to Marion.”

Mike said he and his wife were originally drawn to Marion because Route 6 wasn’t clogged with “anywhere America brands.”

“We thought it was so cool, and we want to to help keep it like that,” said Mike.

The property has a deed restriction paid for by the Sippican Historical Society Preservation Fund and the Croll Foundation that requires any future owner to preserve the building’s exteriors in its current form.

The deed restriction prevents the house from being moved and it must be rebuilt if destroyed, according to a press release from the historical society.

The house holds historic significance for the town. According to the historical society, it was built in 1846 for Captain Stephen Hadley. First lady Frances Cleveland stayed at the house while arctic explorer Adolphus Greeley and his family rented it, and it convinced her to bring her presidential husband back to Marion for four summers.

So, it’s appropriate that the historical society played such a crucial role in protecting the house. The idea to buy it came from former historical society president Judith Rosbe. According to President Frank McNamee, Rosbe brought the principal players together to make the purchase happen.

Even before that, Mike said Rosbe, Margie Baldwin and Tinker Saltonstall set the groundwork for preservation of the corner by bringing a group together to speak with the developer.

The former co-owner of the house, Doug Munro, also wanted to see it preserved, as was his late mother’s wishes.

The Sudofskys envision the corner as an area where artists and local businesses could rent space and create an attractive New England-style welcome to town.

“The projects that we want to do on that corner … should be small, add something for the townspeople, add something for Tabor,” said Mike. “[We want to] plan the right kind of things around the Captain Hadley House to make it a place where you want to go, see the history of our town and enjoy it.”

He said new buildings on the property would first need an OK from the historical society, ensuring the corner remains cohesive with the historic area. Tabor Academy and the Loft School would also be represented.

Planning Board Chair Robert Lane said the purchase is a positive one for the town.

“I hope whatever they do represents an upgrade in terms of it’s visual impact and general maintenance and landscape.”

Fellow Planning Board member and Master Plan Subcommittee Co-Chair Norm Hills said cultivating more business in town is an actionable goal on the master plan and something the town needs.

“There’s no question that we should have some businesses. The question is getting ones we feel are appropriate in town. If we don’t control our futures it will happen to us one way or another,” he said.

Mike said landscaping and revamping parking is at the top of the current improvement list, and they plan to be sensitive to new businesses.

“We don’t need another general store, nor another Serendipity” he said. “We need to be sensitive to what we have.”

Mike’s vision for Route 6 includes more small, local businesses, but he says that also means more clarity from town departments. Right now, he said, small business owners have to jump through too many hoops as they seek approval from committees and boards.

Mike said a comprehensive mutual agreement should be given from the Planning Board, Zoning Board and Conservation Commission so that requirements for a project are clear and agreed by all up front.

Each group means well, said Mike, but “there’s too much double jeopardy.” And that hinders local entrepreneurs from settling in town while favoring big box stores that have more capital and time to endure the process.

Speaking of big box stores, the question remains as to whether or not CVS will still try to build in Marion.

Mark Investment never submitted an official application, and nothing has been heard in months. After continuing its hearing month after month without word, the Planning Board dropped the firm from its agenda.

For now, the team behind the Hadley House purchase is just happy to have protected a corner important to so many.

“Our collective efforts will encourage the use of the site, welcome visitors to Marion and welcome all of us home when we reach our special corner,” said Mike.