Lord Jeffery Inn rehab is a go

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on November 20, 2009

A scaled-back project to modernize the Lord Jeffery Inn, making it a centerpiece of the downtown for both overnight guests and diners, is expected to resume early next year.

Amherst College President Tony Marx said Monday that college trustees authorized the $14 million project so that the renovation of the 83-year-old inn, put on hold a year ago in the midst of the national economic meltdown, can begin.

"There's great eagerness on all our fronts to get this done," said Marx, speaking to local leaders assembled for the college's annual luncheon.

Plans call for the renovation of the existing 49 rooms, an expansion of the restaurant and the addition of a ballroom, with an anticipated reopening of the Boltwood Avenue inn in spring 2011. The inn has been closed since last November.

The original project - pegged at $24 million to $30 million to rebuild, renovate and expand the 46,000-square-foot inn - was put on hold a year ago, primarily because of a 20-percent loss in the college's endowment.

The college depends on the endowment to provide one third of its operating budget and half of all expenditures. "It was not responsible for us, at that point, to go ahead," Marx said.

<h4>Fully supportive</h4>

Tony Maroulis, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, said the business community is fully supportive of the more limited project getting back on track.

"My first reaction is, ‘This rocks,'" Maroulis said. "It's scaled back, but we're so happy to see it open again."

While "the Jeff" has been closed, downtown establishments have likely been affected by reduced receipts, and vacant storefronts seem to stay empty for longer time periods, Maroulis said.

The inn, along with two mixed-use developments in downtown and the East Amherst village center, means $25 million worth of projects are now moving forward, Maroulis said.

Town Manager Larry Shaffer said Amherst College is showing an extraordinary commitment to Amherst.

"They truly are our great partners and our great friends," Shaffer said.

The institution's confidence in the downtown, he said, could prove to be motivation for other investors to step forward.

"It's very important the inn gets up and operational as soon as possible," Shaffer said.

He expects that municipal permitting and review boards will be ready to act.

College spokesman Peter Rooney said because of the substantive changes to the project, the college will require new approvals before much of the work can begin.

The decision to move forward with the renovation came after the college recently announced it has received a $100 million unrestricted cash gift, the largest it has ever received, and an additional $25 million gift.

"They were great news that I hope everyone felt heartened by," Marx said.

Though now a smaller project, the Lord Jeffery Inn renovation will still emphasize green building principles.

Jim Brassord, director of facilities, said ground source thermal pumps will allow the inn to be heated and cooled with the utmost efficiency. With solar power, good insulation and the use of local materials, the long-term costs of operating the building will be reduced.

Rooney said staffing levels, with between 50 and 60 part- and full-time employees working at the inn and its restaurant, are expected to remain the same.

The project does give the college flexibility to add 20 additional rooms at a later date, as well as possible retail space along Spring Street to create a new business district. In fall 2007, Town Meeting approved an expanded business zone on this street, but without the Lord Jeffery Inn project there has been no activity toward achieving this.