(9/20) A historic inn that has served as the center piece of Fairfield for more than 250 years may soon have new owners. The Fairfield Inn is schedule to go on the auction block on November 3.
Sal and Joan Chandon, the current owners of the inn, are planning to retire, and this means saying “good-bye” to this historic site and building “We have owned the inn since 2002,” Sal stated. “We were the 26th owners of the inn during its 255 history. We felt this was the right time for us to turn the business over to a new owner.” Selling the inn now, just before the commencement of the
Gettysburg 150th Civil War sesquicentennial, will provide an economic boost to the new owner, providing for one more significant selling point.
Regarding the profitability of running the Fairfield Inn, Sal stated, “It definitely lived up to our expectations. It really has exceeded what we considered to be a good profit.”
The Chandons moved to the Gettysburg area from New York in 1986. Sal had worked in New York as a recording engineer, and his wife was employed as a legal assistant.
Their first venture in the area was acquiring and operating the Doubleday Inn, near Gettysburg, which they sold in 1990. “We knew the Fairfield Inn as costumers,” Chandon said. “My wife was immediately struck by the history of the place. We took the plunge.”
“We don’t even describe ourselves as owners anymore,” he stated. “We describe ourselves as the current stewards. The Fairfield Inn is sort of like a breathing, living entity. She has a life of her own. It requires a certain mindset of care for the place. It is truly hard to described the feeling you get when you’re taking care of a place like this.”
Why auction? “We chose the auction method because it is such a unique property. We didn’t feel a traditional realty listing was the way to go,” Chandon said. “The auction will attract people who are interested in the uniqueness of the property and have a direct interest in bidding on it.”
Regarding the auction announcement, Fairfield Borough Mayor Robert Stanley said, “I was a little surprised. They’ve been good neighbors and I hate to see them go. I hope they get somebody good in there since it would be a benefit Fairfield.”
The real estate company described the inn as “one of America's oldest, continuously operated Inns.” It is one of only five inns in America that has been in continuous operation since the 1700s. The Fairfield Inn was built in 1757— 19 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence
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