During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he designed over 300 cottages on the island and across Northeastern Maine,[1] including Reverie Cove and the John Innes Kane Cottage in Bar Harbor,[2][3] and (with Milton W. Stratton) Raventhorp in Southwest Harbor, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

[7] Upon the conclusion of his apprenticeship, Savage returned to Northeast Harbor in 1887, and was quickly noted as being an accomplished and dependable building contractor, as well as someone with an eye for architecture.

In 1890, he was hired by James Gardiner, son-in-law of Bishop Doane, to design six cottages for the Harborside area of Northeast Harbor he had purchased three years earlier.

[7] When that partnership ended, Savage built a small Tudor-style office near the intersection of Cottage and Main Streets.

It was his year-round presence on Mount Desert Island that led to major firms engaging with Savage to oversee their projects.

[7] Around 1887, when he was about 26 years old, Savage owned Hilltop Cottage in Northeast Harbor and lived there with his first wife, Flora.