Inn at National Hall closing

Marco Degl'Innocenti, resident manager of the Inn at National Hall, got his two weeks notice on Feb. 25. So did the dozen other employees of the hotel.

"I see a dark future for this place," Degl'Innocenti said Monday.

Someone from Antares Investment Partners, the Stamford-based owners of National Hall at 2 Post Road W. and several surrounding buildings, came to the inn to tell him he had to shut down. The luxurious inn, which opened in 1993, had been threatened with closure over the years as the deed for the building changed hands several times.

"We hoped until the end there could have been an owner interested in keeping this," Degl'Innocenti said.

That never happened. The inn's final day of operation will be March 8.

The saga of the Inn at National Hall -- which recently sparked rallying cries of "Save the Inn" and in-fighting amongst two of the town's governmental bodies after a zoning decision was overturned by the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) -- will now come to an end.

Degl'Innocenti followed the town's proceedings with hope that the inn, where he's worked for 12 years, would stay open. The feasibility of the inn was constantly at the forefront of the discussions about a planned sale of the building, but for him there was never any doubt about its viability.

"They have blabbered about how [the inn] doesn't work," he said. "That's their opinion. I believe this could be a valuable thing if someone wants to continue to do it."

Talk about saving the inn began in October, when neighboring businesses heard about a potential sale of National Hall that would involve converting it into an office building.

Since the brick building was built in 1873 it has served a variety of purposes, and -- due to its size and prominent location along the Saugatuck River -- it has always remained a dominant feature in downtown Westport. First, it was used as storage for the cargo unloaded by boats at the nearby dock. Later on, it served as a state police barracks. The ground floor housed several restaurants over the past decade, all of which have come and gone.

National Hall and several surrounding buildings were bought in 2006 for about $20 million by Antares from the Norwalk-based real estate investment company, Greenfield Partners. Three years later, the troubled Antares, working closely with its lenders, attempted to unload the building for approximately $9 million back to Greenfield Partners. That sale was contingent upon the zoning change approval.

Despite opposition from owners of the nearby businesses located on the west bank of the Saugatuck, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a text amendment that would enable National Hall to become office space on all floors for Greenfield Partners. Following a petition from residents, however, the decision was appealed to the RTM. In a historic move, the zoning commission's decision was overturned in January by a two-thirds vote by the RTM. A reversal of a P&Z decision by the RTM had not happened in Westport since the 1980s.

The zoning commission then threatened to sue the RTM for its decision, citing concerns about the legislative body's procedures involving matters of land use. The suit was never filed, as members of the RTM decided to review the appeal process as it relates to land use decisions by the zoning commission.

Meanwhile, with the zone change overturned, attorney Larry Weisman, who represented Greenfield Partners during the zoning process, said his clients were "done" with the deal in January.

Weisman did not wish to talk about or confirm any details about the future of the building and Greenfield Partners' speculated involvement.

"I don't want to discuss it publicly," he said.

A phone call placed to a number listed for Antares was not valid; although, it was functioning in January.

On Monday, a week before the March 8 closing date, Degl'Innocenti was asked by this reporter if he would mind giving a tour to show off the rooms and their furniture. He said, "Of course, it might all be gone soon."

All the furniture in the rooms -- most of it antique -- is owned by Antares, he said. Chandeliers dangle from the ceilings and in one room, a towering bookshelf made of cherry wood, standing at least 15-feet tall, takes up an entire wall. It was painted white solely because the interior decorator liked that color more, Degl'Innocenti said. Many of the rooms contain luxurious four-poster beds that overlook the Saugatuck River. Paintings -- some portraits -- adorn the walls.

"They'll have no problem selling this," Degl'Innocenti said. He wasn't sure what the plan is for the furniture throughout the building.

Matthew Mandell, chairman of Planning and Zoning Committee of the RTM, opposed the zone change amendment, but not because of the lavish interiors of the rooms. Still, he believes it will be a loss to the community if the interior is gutted for any reason.

"Shame anybody who rips out the interior of that hotel," he said.

Once Degl'Innocenti got notice that he had to close up the inn, he and his staff had to call the more than 100 people who had reserved rooms for later this year. Wedding reservations also had to be cancelled. The last reservation was to be Dec. 24.

Degli'Innocenti has a job lined up at Delamar Southport, a high-end hotel opening in Southport next month, so he said he's fortunate. He said that the closing has been emotional, but that's the way life goes.

"We are open as usual until the last day," he said. "Then, we shut the lights off and leave."