New Owners To Tear Down Pennsylvania Inn
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Sept. 2, 2009
The Mountain View Inn was a Historic Hotel of America.
A historic Pennsylvania inn visited by luminaries from John F. Kennedy to Harrison Ford will be demolished this fall.
The Mountain View Inn in Greensburg, Pa., closed in January when First Commonwealth Bank took title in lieu of foreclosure. The inn opened in 1924 and had been owned and operated by the Booher family since the 1940s.
Last month a group of local investors called Jada View LLC bought the property, a member of Historic Hotels of America, for $3 million and announced plans to tear down the original section of the hotel and replace it with a shopping center.
"We're going to dismantle the old part because it's in such disrepair," says Tony Ferry, a realtor who represented the new owners at the Aug. 12 sale. Ferry adds that it would cost $3 million to bring the building up to code. "It would not be cost-effective," he says. "In business sometimes you've got to think with your head and not your heart."
Some former guests say they preferred the original 26-room inn to the newer portion, which was built fewer than 20 years ago.
"The new section is just like any Hampton Inn or Best Western," says Mindy Crawford, executive director of Preservation Pennsylvania. She stayed in the old section of the Mountain View Inn several times, most recently last September: "Yes, the hallways are narrow; the fixtures aren't new. When you walk in it, you know you're walking into a historic building. I love the feel of it."
Jada View LLC will hold three auctions before the demolition: A Sept. 26 sale of antiques, another on Sept. 29 to sell off kitchen equipment, and a third, on Oct. 3, offering historic elements for salvage. After renovations, the remaining 59-room section of the inn will reopen next spring, Ferry says.
Crawford and other preservationists plan to appeal to the owners to suggest other options.
"They should look into historic tax credits," Crawford says. "It's been a great icon on the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania for many years."
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Comments
Submitted by uncle ed at: July 27, 2010
Not cost effective? A shopping center in an area that's already over-developed? The owners should have looked 60 miles to the east to Bedford Springs, where a really derelict hotel was turned into a spectacular resort. They could have done so much with Mountain View. Today, the land sits empty. Congratulations.
Submitted by Big B at: January 22, 2010
It is truly a sad occasion for the demolition of a landmark such as the Mountain View Inn. Those who have not read "The Geography of Nowhere", especially the Jada View LLC (owners and destroyers of Mt. View), should read its pages that ring so true regarding our loss of place and permanance.
Submitted by woods at: December 7, 2009
the inn is gone now however it would of cost the new owners alot. the inn has been mismanaged for years and new owners have to meet building codes the previous ones did not. rip
Submitted by MICKY at: September 26, 2009
To open a MOTEL there without the historic Inn would be financial suicide.
Submitted by Samantha at: September 25, 2009
I have stayed there many times, in all the sections...it certainly was not in disrepair! It was an absolutely beautiful facility, with beautiful antiques and charming gardens everywhere. What a shame that these people are not only tearing it down, but using this thin 'excuse' for doing so.
Submitted by Sara at: September 25, 2009
Just what the area needs, yet another strip mall, the second one these people have built, the first one looks like a butler building and has a chinese restaurant in it, but is mostly empty. The community is losing a truly beloved landmark. What a terrible loss for everyone in the entire area and beyond.
Submitted by Kit at: September 23, 2009
The clock is ticking and it does not appear anything is going to happen to stop the demolition of a beloved landmark. Isn't there any one out there who can stop it - to provide an alternative plan and showcase the Inn as it should be?
Submitted by bella at: September 22, 2009
I am very sad to hear that this historic landmark on Route 30 is being destroyed. Recently, my siblings and I honored our parents 50th wedding anniversary and had inquired to book a party at Mt. View. We were very disappointed that it had closed. This is a loss for the area. There is plenty of shopping alternatives available.
Submitted by Cher at: September 15, 2009
I live in the Mt View area and there are many, many of us who are extremely upset about the fate of the Inn. It has been a local landmark loved by locals as well as travellers to this area. Nothing compares and it is heart breaking the new owners of the Inn don't realize it may be very well worth it to put money into renovating, not demolishing.
Submitted by MAD JACK at: September 8, 2009
How disappointing. Mt View was a great place and countless good times were had by all who frequented The Inn with regularity.Rt 30 is already oversaturated with an array of shops and vendors, and despite the prime location, I don't see these new businesses being profitable.
Submitted by TaxiManSteve at: September 2, 2009
Just what we need... More shopping for this thoughtless nation.... (sign)