(4/23) The new owners of the old Fairfield Inn are seeking one of the last approvals needed to reopen the now-closed historic inn, in anticipation of a May 15 settlement on the purchase of the property.

Renamed the Mansion House 1757, the old inn is located at 15 W. Main Street and its new owners are seeking borough approval of the new signage, while notification of the transfer of the Fairfield Inn's liquor license is posted in one of the building’s windows. Mansion House reflects the original name of the inn, and the year it began operation.

The new signage has gained the approval of the municipal zoning officer and the borough's Historical Architectural Review Board and will be considered for final approval by the Borough Council at the end of April.

The ~10,000 square foot Fairfield Inn was listed for sale for ~$750 thousand dollars in December 2019, that the price tag included "the business name, the liquor license, FFE (furniture, fixtures and equipment), real estate and any intangible assets and goodwill of the business." The reason listed for the sale was that the "owner (is) selling in order to retire."

According to the Fairfield Inn's website, "With origins dating to 1757, The Fairfield Inn is one of America’s oldest, continuously operated inns."

The inn's website also states, "Built nineteen years before the Declaration of Independence, The Fairfield Inn was originally the Mansion House of Squire Miller, an original founder of the town. In the 260 years that have passed, the Mansion House has seen many famous Americans such as Patrick Henry, Thaddeus Stevens, generals Robert E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart, Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Plank, and Mamie Eisenhower."

George Keeney, who now co-owns the restaurant with his wife, Cindy, said, as far as a full-blown opening, "We’re waiting for the (COVID-19) virus to settle down."

He noted, however, inns can be open under the mandatory shut-down, "So we’re hoping we can have the inn open for Memorial Day weekend." Keeney also noted that, since the previous owners kept great care of the inn and property, as far as improvements go, "A lot of what we’ve been doing is cosmetic."