Saving Hillsborough’s Colonial Inn

For a while, the informal history of the Colonial Inn in Hillsborough included tales of the Revolutionary War and its heroes, but eventually it was determined the inn was built in 1838, thus rendering those tales tall ones indeed.

And though the inn is on the National Register of Historic Places, its history in the last few years has been anything but illustrious. Owner Francis Henry bought the inn at auction in 2002. But it has deteriorated since, and now the King Street structure is the subject of eminent domain proceedings by the town of Hillsborough, a process whereby the town can take the inn and compensate Henry. The case made by the town is that a historic structure is in peril and it’s in the town’s interest to save it.

Henry is fighting the move and wants adequate compensation, which likely will differ from what the town wants to pay.

The inn is worth saving. Many families hereabouts have important memories in that dilapidated old building. Many had their wedding receptions there. Many more ate Sunday dinner there or dined on the Southern cuisine on special occasions. That hasn’t been the case since 2001.

The building doesn’t look as it once did, and restoration would run in the millions, $3 million by one estimate.

The town has done the right thing here, and it’s still to be determined what the next right thing is. A public-private partnership is being discussed, and that could include future plans for commercial space or offices. Some town residents think a museum might be the best choice.

The town should consider some kind of mixed-use plan that would include a restaurant that would preserve at least part of the inn’s tradition. That would enable the town to recoup some of the costs involved with eminent domain and any redevelopment. Who knows? A new Sunday dinner tradition might begin.

The preservation of historic buildings is tricky. First, it’s expensive, and private investors understandably want to get their money back and then some. The expense of renovation, if the plan is to preserve the historic character of the building, can escalate in the wake of deterioration. And building codes aren’t what they were in 1838.

Still, Hillsborough values its history, and the Colonial Inn is part of that. And the fact that there is a debate to come, and no firm plan for the future set, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Once the town takes control, ideas will come forward for bringing the past back to the present.

This story was originally published October 18, 2015 at 12:48 PM with the headline "Saving Hillsborough’s Colonial Inn."