Century Inn reopens today, 30 months after devastating fire
Rick Shrum/Observer-Reporter
Devastated by fire in August 2015, the historic and rebuilt Century Inn will reopen Friday.
Rick Shrum/Observer-Reporter
The Whiskey Rebellion flag, rescued intact from the fire, is back in its accustomed place in the Century Inn.
Observer-Reporter
April Harrington, whose family owns the Century Inn in Scenery Hill, is shown in this 2018 file photo.
Century Inn will add another chapter to its historic history tonight – when it rises from the ashes.
Thirty months after a devastating fire, the iconic restaurant and tavern will reopen with a Valentine’s Weekend Dinner, reservations only, followed by a similar event Saturday evening.
The two-story inn, along Route 40 in Scenery Hill, had to be rebuilt after a blaze broke out Aug. 15, 2015, in a first-floor utility room.
Its resurrection has taken a long and circuitous route, similar to the National Pike that passes 25 feet from the inn’s front lawn.
“We’re so happy to see the end … or the beginning,” said Megin Harrington, the owner, who was steadfastly behind restoring and reopening someday – despite the pervasive damage.
“There was never a question I would rebuild,” she added. “There were no other options. I think that after 44 years, to get things the way I wanted … Now we’re back at square one.”
And back in business. The inn, from the outside, looks remarkably the way it did the day before – and years before – the fire. Megin Harrington and her daughter-in-law, April Harrington, the front of the house manager, praised Waller Corp. of Washington, the general contractor, for its handicraft.
One change: Megin will no longer live at the inn, but will stay there when there are overnight guests.
Actually, a case could be made for renaming the place Two Century Inn. It opened in 1794, is on the National Register of Historic Places, and its guest rolls include U.S. presidents Andrew Jackson and James Polk.
The historic inn almost became history that August night. Firefighters were able to save the stone walls, but so much inside the ornate old building, a popular Washington County dining destination, was destroyed, forcing Harrington and her family to buy paintings and antiques to adorn the inn anew.
“I was buying so many things and not sure where they would go,” Megin Harrington said, adding that friends and patrons have donated antiques to the inn.
An item the family didn’t lose – because one of the Harringtons picked it off the wall before fleeing the fire – is a Whiskey Rebellion-era flag. April Harrington pointed out during an impromptu tour Thursday that the flag is back on a tavern wall, “essentially where it stood.”
Remodeling resulted in a chef’s table, a separate room the owner had long wanted to provide, and reduction of seating from about 120 to 80. Yet the dining area remains comfortably spacious.
Chef Matt Kinsey and his staff will be preparing dinner tonight and tomorrow for what will likely be capacity crowds. As of Thursday morning, according to April, only a few reservations were available for either night.
Century Inn will return to its traditional lunch-dinner schedule next Wednesday, by appointment only for a few months. Lunch will be served Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
“We’re really looking forward to opening our doors and having everyone back,” April Harrington said.
Forty-eight hours after Valentine’s Day, Century Inn’s heart is beating fast.