BANGOR – Something strange is happening on a street in Derry.

The large, white Victorian house with a Mansard roof is wrapped in plastic, and if passersby didn’t know better, they might speculate that evil creatures eager to prey on neighborhood children are hiding in the dumpsters on the front lawn.

But that’s not the case at all.

The real story has nothing to do with the plot of the notable book “IT,” written by world-famous author Stephen King, who disguised his hometown of Bangor as the fictional town of Derry.

In fact, King and his wife, Tabitha, recently purchased the more than 100-year-old mansion next door to their home on West Broadway and are in the process of restoring it.

“They’re doing a complete renovation to the house,” Bangor Development Coordinator Jeremy Martin said Tuesday. “It’s quite a project.”

King’s Bangor attorney, Warren Silver, declined to comment Wednesday on the restoration or future plans for the house. Bangor city staff, however, said they believe the house may be used by King’s family members once the restoration is complete.

Also known as the Charles P. Brown House, the home was valued at $10,000 when it was built in 1872. Currently, the land is valued by the city at $67,100 and the house at $208,000.

The Kings, however, purchased the house on Oct. 1 for a substantially larger sum from Carleen A. Irwin, according to assessment records. The price paid by the Kings rang in at $750,000, which doesn’t include the cost of renovations.

“It’s a big house, and it takes a lot of money to maintain those big old houses,” Martin said.

It is unknown exactly how long the home was in the Irwin family, but it was a “very, very long time,” according to a clerk in the city assessor’s office.

The current assessment sheet shows the house was passed down through five members of the Irwin family.

Historically, the house has not been maintained very well, but the Kings intend to restore it to its original grandeur, right down to the trim, according to Martin.

The three-story building is considered one of the most impressive mansions in Bangor, according to Deborah Thompson, architectural historian and author of “Bangor, Maine 1769-1914 An Architectural History.”

Although there is no documentation to prove it, Thompson said Wednesday she believes the house may have been built by well-known architect George Orff, a Bangor native.

“There was nobody else working at that level at that time in Bangor,” Thompson said.

The Bangor Historical Preservation Committee approved the exterior renovations to the home at its Nov. 18 meeting. No permit is required for interior renovations, although the Kings did submit plans to restore the interior of the home.

Renovation permits also were submitted and approved in November by the city’s code enforcement officer.

The contractor for the job is Crowell Construction Inc. of Stoneham. In applying to the Preservation Committee for permission to do the restoration work, the president of the company, Gary Crowell, wrote: “I assure you that I/they will take every measure possible during renovations to make sure that the Charles P. Brown House … is restored to its original beauty in every detail.”

“I’m sure [the Kings will] do a lovely job,” Thompson said. “They know what needs to be done.”

On the outside, that detail includes roofing, exterior woodwork, siding, windows, and exterior doors, according to the plans submitted to the city. A room added to the front of the house in the 1970s, which was designed for the lavatory, also has been removed, Thompson said.

Inside the house electrical and plumbing work will be done, as well as restoration of the stairs, risers, handrails, and balustrades. Existing finishes, molding, castings and trim also will be preserved and protected, according to the plans submitted to the historic committee.

Crowell also wrote that he has been doing restoration and construction work for the Kings for 25 years, including their home at 47 West Broadway. Crowell’s company has been in operation in Maine for more than 30 years.

The subcontractor hired by Crowell to assist with the project is Classical Endeavors of Ellsworth. The company, whose president is Bonnie Sawyer, wife of former state Sen. W. Tom Sawyer, specializes in finish work, restoration and renovation of historical homes.

“It’s a great, great house and I’m so glad it’s fallen into good hands,” Thompson said. “I think it’s wonderful that it’s being restored.”