Benards Inn was first opened in 1907 by brothers Fred
E. and Frank A. Ballentine. The
buildings construction, which began in 1905, used stone from an old stable that
stood on Main Street (now Mine Brook Road). Some of the other architectural details
included in the building’s construction were from the original Hotel Plaza
in New York City. The lobby
staircase still exists today.
The Ballentine brothers sold it to Mr. W.H. Parke after a few years. With the prohibition went into effect in
1920, business dropped off dramatically.
The Inn fell into the hands of Commercial Trust Company of New York
and sat idle until 1922, when Fred Ballentine re-purchased the Inn. Ballentine made repair and opened the
Inn in July. In 1930 a fire broke out
and destroyed the north end of the building, which contained stores, and
private offices. The fire was stopped at
the brick wall that separated the hotel and the stores. The north end was not rebuilt, and the brick
wall is now the current exterior wall at the Inns north end.
When the 18th amendment was
repealed in 1933, at least four illegal bars, “speakeasies” operated in Bernardsville
and the Inn was known to be one of them.
The inn went through several
owners and in 1985 the new owners closed it to the public and the inn went extensive
multi-year renovation. The “Bernard’s
Inn reopened in 1987 and still exists although it has undergone changes
over the years, it still can be recognized as the Bernard’s Inn.
It is also on this card, published by the “Colotype
Co.” and looks to be circa 1930s or 40s but the image looks to be pre-fire. In any event, the card is in good condition
with minor wear and a clean, clear image.
The reverse is clean except for an address and a “George Washington’s
False Teeth” written on it.
The colors on the card may vary due to the scanner settings and screen projections.
Unless otherwise noted, I use Wikipedia, Playle's and Metropostcard for research and try to be as accurate as possible. Corrections appreciated.
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