Through its incarnations as a tavern and multiple hotels, the Hanover Inn has been a landmark for members of the Dartmouth community for more than 200 years.
The building currently on the corner of Main Street and Wheelock is the fourth building to occupy the site, said Jay Barret, Hanover code officer, who is writing a book about the history of the Hanover Inn.
Matt Marshall, manager of the Hanover Inn said, "as far as we know [the Hanover Inn] is the oldest continuously operating business in the state of New Hampshire."
The first building was constructed around 1780 by Colonel Ebeneazer Brewster. Eleazer Wheelock brought Brewster from Connecticut to be the College's steward, Barret said.
Originally the College was granted 500 acres which now encompasses much of the campus and the Town of Hanover itself, Barret said. The College parceled out sections of the land to professors and others in an effort to establish a village.
Wheelock gave the portion, which would later become the Hanover Inn, to Brewster, Barret said. Brewster decided there was need for another tavern in Hanover and opened one up.
Barret said Wheelock did not approve because he was trying to keep students away from the other tavern present at the time, which was on the site where Casque and Gauntlet senior society currently stands.
Brewster's tavern was an immediate success, Barret said.
Brewster was highly involved in local political affairs, Barret said. "His tavern served as a gathering place during the later years of the revolution and for sorting out the state constitution."
"Brewster moved into the tavern in 1814 and leased it to a wide variety of people," Barret said.
"It was privately owned until it burned down on Jan. 4, 1887," Barret said. "The fire pretty well burned down the whole side of the street."
Barret said the fire was so destructive because it was 30 degrees below zero outside and the 300 volunteer student firefighters were still out of town on winter break. The owner of the building, known as the Dartmouth Hotel, decided not to rebuild.
"In 1888, the College decided it was in the College's best interest to have a decent hotel in town so they purchased the corner with the burnt buildings," Barret said. The decision was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The College purchased the land for $5,000, said Jeffrey Smith, who wrote a paper for a history class about the history of the Hanover.
The College hired a well-known architect from St. Johnsbury, Vt., to design the new building, Barret said. He was also the architect who designed Bartlett Hall.
"He designed a very flamboyant brick Victorian building that was situated on the corner," Barret said. "The College leased it out and it was known as the Wheelock House."
But the Wheelock House had difficulty finding a good manager and the building was poorly planned, Barret said.
The College decided to manage the hotel and renovate it renovation when the hotel was only 14 years old, Barret said.
The renovations toned down the Victorian flamboyance of the structure and the College changed the hotel's name to the Hanover Inn, Barret said.
"Since then, the College has owned and operated the inn themselves," Barret said.
In 1924, the College built a major addition, Barret said. It was added onto the east side of the existing building, which now houses the dining room and the kitchens.
Marshall said the Hanover Inn has had its share of celebrities stay under its roof.
He said the guests have included "a lot of presidents and a lot of famous people," Marshall said.
"Glenn Close, Ronald Howard, the B-52s, Kirk Douglass, Dana Carvey, Christopher Lloyd, Dianna Ross, Ronald Reagan, Billy Joel and Robert Frost are just some of the notable guests that have stayed at the Hanover Inn," he said.
Smith said Marshall became the manager of the hotel in the early 1980s after about 20 tumultuous years of management.
Marshall's first order of business was to change the perception of the restaurants, Smith said. Locals perceived the prices of the food too high and the service and quality terrible.
Since 1924, the Inn has undergone smaller renovations.
Marshall was responsible for opening the Ivy Grill in 1984, Smith said. Marshall was also responsible for the renovation of the east wing in the 1980s. It was the first time that section had been renovated since it was built in 1924.
Barret said the College tore down the old 1888 portion of the building this summer.
"The College replaced it with the present building," Barret said. "They matched it to the architecture of the 1924 building which is why when you look at the building today it now looks like it was all built as one building."
Richard duMez, Hanover Inn manager of restaurant and beverage operations said the addition of the lobby is the most recent renovation to the hotel.
"The lobby is now 1,500 square- feet and provides a warm and welcoming experience for guests," duMez said. "It has a nice fireplace and built-in bookshelves."
"Prior to the lobby renovation we did a safety upgrade throughout the entire hotel about five years ago." duMez said.
DuMez said the College also renovated the east wing of the hotel about six years ago.
"We completely gutted our east wing," duMez said. "We redid all the all the guest rooms. There used to be 12 rooms on each floor and now there are only eight."
