History of the Hawthorne Inn

The original Hawthorne Inn was a two story, pegged beam structure, built approximately one hundred years ago.

In the mid 1930's the building became an inn providing lodging for travelers between New York and Boston.

The name Hawthorne was taken from the Hawthorne tree located in front of the building. The Hawthorne tree was chopped down in 1940 when the Wilbur Cross Highway was widened to a four lane road. The original structure was moved back from the road and set on top of the present first floor dining area, now called the Ribons Dining Room. Hawthorne trees were added to the front of both the restaurant and hotel in 1997 to reestablish the history of the Hawthorne name.

John and Adele Grelak, the present owners' parents, purchased the Inn in 1945. At that time the restaurant had a seating capacity of 75 with overnight lodging available on the second and third floors. As popularity of the restaurant increased, the demand for additional dining space and private meeting facilities grew. The expansion of the Hawthorne started in 1955 with the construction of the Sherwood Room (then the Saxony Lounge) on the first floor and the conversion of two lodging rooms into a private dining room on the second floor. Over the years additional lodging rooms on the second floor were converted to private dining areas.

Presently there are four separate rooms on the second floor with capacity ranging from six to 100 persons. The Tudor Room, with three dividable dining areas, and the Zodiac Bar were constructed in 1960. The Crest Room was built in 1970, with a capacity of 200. It was expanded in 1976 and now seats 350. A new cocktail lounge was added in 1986. Renovations to our banquet rooms were completed in 1996.