Prolific local developer Mark McNabb plans to convert one of Portsmouth’s historic mansions into a hotel. 

The developer had renovated and expanded the old Treadwell Mansion into office space in 2022, but according to filings with the city of Portsmouth he “has had very few showings and no offers” despite marketing it for two years. 

The city’s office market, Bruton & Berube attorney Francis Brutton III wrote in a filing, “has experienced a profound downward shift in office demand, with significant office vacancies in 

Portsmouth to fill” and a paucity of demand that “will continue for the foreseeable future.” 

City zoning officials recently granted McNabb permission to renovate the 93 Pleasant St. property into a 40-room boutique hotel boasting an amenity roof deck.  

Units in plans filed with the city show suites equipped with kitchenettes, in the manner of an extended-stay hotel. McNabb’s filing said the hotel will have a live-in host. 

At issue: McNabb had sought an exemption from city parking rules to let him lease five of the 25 required off-street spots at a Citizens bank branch nearby. 

An LLC controlled by McNabb bought the property at 93 Pleasant St. for $2 million in 2020, city land records show.