After five years of vacancy, another lofty renovation is planned for the Stockton Inn

In spring, Preservation New Jersey named the Stockton Inn one of its 10 most endangered places in the state. The nearly 200-year-old building has been vacant since 2017, and has fallen into disrepair.

However, that fate may be reversed as the inn was bought last month by the owners of the Stockton Market. Now, they’re planning a hefty renovation - and hope to open by late 2023.

“We saw the tremendous opportunity to bring back to life this historic inn that so many people in our area have shared many memorable experiences,” said Steven Grabowski and Cheryl Olsten, in an email.

The renovation will include updating the main restaurant, expanding the tavern, adding guest rooms in the main building and carriage houses, and adding a bakery and coffee shop for both guests and the public.

According to Kurfiss Sotheby’s Real Estate listing, the inn has four dining rooms with 80 seats, an indoor event space, 10 hotel rooms, outdoor dining space with 80 seats, and an outdoor event space with gardens, a waterfall, pond, wine cave, iconic wishing well, outdoor bar and a dance floor. The property also includes a stone carriage house and a stone wagon house.

It’s not the first time that a new owner has stepped in to try and revitalize the inn, which was once a regional epicenter.

An investor bought the inn in 2015 and tried to reinvent it as an upscale restaurant, but it closed in 2017. Then, in 2020, a developer stepped in and planned to redevelop the property with an 780-seat outdoor concert venue, footprint expansion, additional hotel rooms and health spa, according to MyCentralJersey.

Locals vehemently opposed the plans due to its scale and expansion, as well as concerns about traffic, parking and noise. The project was withdrawn last year.

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Since then, the inn has remained vacant and continued to deteriorate. Grabowski and Olsten, however, believe that the third time’s the charm.

“The previous owner, along with subsequent interested buyers, all proposed significant changes to not only the footprint, but the usage of the property to make their investment profitable,” they said. “We feel very confident that we can maintain the integrity of the property within the existing approved usage, and that it will be very well received by the community.”

The redevelopment of the inn would be especially meaningful to Stockton, which lacks much of the activity that neighbors such as New Hope, Lambertville and Frenchtown enjoy. The inn is the only borough venue with a liquor license.

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Built in 1832 to replace a nearby tavern, the inn is rumored to have later operated as a speakeasy. After Prohibition, Colligan’s (as it was then known) was frequented by notable visitors from New York City and Philadelphia, including Jackie Kennedy Onassis and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Margaret Mitchell is rumored to have written portions of “Gone With The Wind” there.

A patio with a waterfall and wishing well was added in the 1930s, which inspired the lyrics for the classic song, “There’s a Small Hotel” by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart.

Colligan’s was renamed the Stockton Inn in the 1980s, when the Colligan family sold it to new owners. It continued to operate as a restaurant until it closed in 2017.

Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA Today Network New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Contact: [email protected] or @JIntersimone.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Stockton Inn owners plan massive renovation to endangered building