AURORA - Gert and Gerard O'Brien had to check out the newly remodeled Aurora Inn Thursday evening because they fell in love with the place 56 years ago. They ended up there by chance, unable to find other lodging during a Finger Lakes vacation.
Aurora benefactor Pleasant Rowland, stepping down, and Wells College President Lisa Marsh Ryerson arrive at the Aurora Inn's ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday night in an ornate carriage once owned by Henry Wells, founder of the Wells Fargo Co. Sara Tramiel / Staff Photographer
Now in their 80s and living in nearby Ithaca, the couple were among the first to arrive to a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating completion of more than $6 million in renovations, which will culminate next week when the historic inn is reopened.
"We've been by about every two weeks or so to see what was going on with it," Gert said about why the couple wanted to attend the ribbon-cutting.
Some 150 village residents and curiosity-seekers also showed up at the ceremony, and were feted to a cheese and wine reception in the inn's restaurant.
The 170-year-old inn had sat dormant for nearly three years after Wells College, its owner, shut it down because of its deteriorating condition and financial problems.
But Pleasant T. Rowland, a 1962 Wells alumna and former toy mogul, stepped in to rescue the Federal-style building because, she said, she loves her alma mater and the tiny village along Cayuga Lake.
Profits from the inn and the other businesses in the village she's helping revive will go directly to the college.
To help the village, Rowland formed the Aurora Foundation, which will manage the inn, the market next door and a new pizzeria across the street.
"She was willing to take a risk," Wells College President Lisa Marsh Ryerson said during the festivities.
Rowland accumulated her fortune after starting the American Girl Doll company, which she eventually sold for $770 million to Mattel.
Village Mayor Tom Gunderson alluded to the controversy that swirled around the village when some residents formed a group to stop the project, claiming it was destroying the inn's distinctive architecture. The group, the Aurora Coalition, took the case to court but lost.
Thursday night, the mayor acknowledged some people think changes can wipe out connections to the past. But not in this case, Gunderson said.
Rowland's involvement in the project was like giving the old, tired building new life, he said. Before she came forward, the inn had deteriorated so much, it "was literally close to death," Gunderson said.
Like something out of Cinderella's grand entrance at the ball, Rowland and Ryerson arrived by carriage and were greeted with applause. Their ornate carriage was actually a stagecoach once owned by Henry Wells, the founder of the security and financial company that got its start in Aurora.
The two women stood together at the inn's front door with big smiles as residents congratulated them, reminiscent of a greeting line at a reception for heads of state.
Rowland, who informed the press through her handlers she would not grant interviews, told the crowd how she fell in love with the quaint village nestled between rolling hills to the east and the deep, clear lake to the west.
The inn is her gift to the village, she said. "Forty-five years ago, I came to Wells seeking an education and I left with an education of the heart," Rowland said.
Ryerson said she's banking on the inn to be the catalyst for the village's renaissance. It is creating 50 new full- and part-time jobs, she said.
With the interior designed by McGlynn Interiors of Skaneateles, the inn features 10 guest rooms, ranging from $125 to $225 a night.
The charcoal, deep red and caramel colors schemes throughout the inn were gleaned from portraits of the inn's second owners, Mr. and Mrs. William Eagles, which hang opposite each other near the front desk and the parlor, said the inn's Dariel Curren.
The restaurant's French doors open onto a lakeside veranda and porch where 75 patrons can sit at charcoal-colored tables with red geraniums and small white candles.
The banquet room can accommodate as many as 125 guests for parties and weddings. The 1958 mural of the village that dominated the front desk of the old inn has been carefully moved to the banquet room.
The O'Briens plan to enjoy these amenities and more when they stay at the inn in a few weeks. Their son, John, has bought a gift certificate for them.
When they stayed at the inn in 1947, the proprietor didn't have guests keys to the rooms, Gerard O'Brien said
"It's really changed," he said.
"We've been by about every two weeks or so to see what was going on with it," Gert said about why the couple wanted to attend the ribbon-cutting.
Some 150 village residents and curiosity-seekers also showed up at the ceremony, and were feted to a cheese and wine reception in the inn's restaurant.
The 170-year-old inn had sat dormant for nearly three years after Wells College, its owner, shut it down because of its deteriorating condition and financial problems.
But Pleasant T. Rowland, a 1962 Wells alumna and former toy mogul, stepped in to rescue the Federal-style building because, she said, she loves her alma mater and the tiny village along Cayuga Lake.
Profits from the inn and the other businesses in the village she's helping revive will go directly to the college.
To help the village, Rowland formed the Aurora Foundation, which will manage the inn, the market next door and a new pizzeria across the street.
"She was willing to take a risk," Wells College President Lisa Marsh Ryerson said during the festivities.
Rowland accumulated her fortune after starting the American Girl Doll company, which she eventually sold for $770 million to Mattel.
Village Mayor Tom Gunderson alluded to the controversy that swirled around the village when some residents formed a group to stop the project, claiming it was destroying the inn's distinctive architecture. The group, the Aurora Coalition, took the case to court but lost.
Thursday night, the mayor acknowledged some people think changes can wipe out connections to the past. But not in this case, Gunderson said.
Rowland's involvement in the project was like giving the old, tired building new life, he said. Before she came forward, the inn had deteriorated so much, it "was literally close to death," Gunderson said.
Like something out of Cinderella's grand entrance at the ball, Rowland and Ryerson arrived by carriage and were greeted with applause. Their ornate carriage was actually a stagecoach once owned by Henry Wells, the founder of the security and financial company that got its start in Aurora.
The two women stood together at the inn's front door with big smiles as residents congratulated them, reminiscent of a greeting line at a reception for heads of state.
Rowland, who informed the press through her handlers she would not grant interviews, told the crowd how she fell in love with the quaint village nestled between rolling hills to the east and the deep, clear lake to the west.
The inn is her gift to the village, she said. "Forty-five years ago, I came to Wells seeking an education and I left with an education of the heart," Rowland said.
Ryerson said she's banking on the inn to be the catalyst for the village's renaissance. It is creating 50 new full- and part-time jobs, she said.
With the interior designed by McGlynn Interiors of Skaneateles, the inn features 10 guest rooms, ranging from $125 to $225 a night.
The charcoal, deep red and caramel colors schemes throughout the inn were gleaned from portraits of the inn's second owners, Mr. and Mrs. William Eagles, which hang opposite each other near the front desk and the parlor, said the inn's Dariel Curren.
The restaurant's French doors open onto a lakeside veranda and porch where 75 patrons can sit at charcoal-colored tables with red geraniums and small white candles.
The banquet room can accommodate as many as 125 guests for parties and weddings. The 1958 mural of the village that dominated the front desk of the old inn has been carefully moved to the banquet room.
The O'Briens plan to enjoy these amenities and more when they stay at the inn in a few weeks. Their son, John, has bought a gift certificate for them.
When they stayed at the inn in 1947, the proprietor didn't have guests keys to the rooms, Gerard O'Brien said
"It's really changed," he said.
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