Skaneateles' Sherwood Inn takes time out for facelift

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Jan 16, 2004 by Kropf, Annemarie

SKANEATELES - The Sherwood Inn soon will be closing temporarily for renovations. During this time, dinner will be served in the tavern only, and its 24 rooms will not be available.

"We did some very minor touchups to the restaurant about two years ago," says Betsy Barrett, director of sales and marketing at the Sherwood Inn. "But it's been many, many years since a major renovation."

The Sherwood Inn, on West Genesee Street in Skaneateles, will be closed from Feb. 15 through approximately April 10, while the business renovates its dining, banquet, and conference facilities.

The Sherwood will retain the ambiance of the traditional country inn, Barrett says, but will receive a much needed facelift. The new dining rooms will have a countrified English look provided by the design team of Cody and Wolff, Inc., with new carpet and wall coverings, traditional lighting fixtures and furniture, antique paintings and mirrors, and accessories. Renovations will include retractable walls between the back dining room and the conference room, French doors accessing the front and west porches, a fireplace in the conference room, and a new wine bar in the dining area. The Inn will also build an additional storage area and future office space in the rear of the building. An outside patio will be built on the West Lawn which may be used for special events. This expansion will not take away any parking spots, Barrett says.

The new configuration will allow the Sherwood Inn to host groups of all sizes up to 350 people, with room capacities as follows: the main dining room will be 933 square feet and seat 80. The back dining room will be 783 square feet and seat 75 people. The conference area will be 344 square feet and seat 25. The west porch will be 616 square feet and seat 40, and the front porch will be 709 square feet and seat 55.

The Sherwood Inn will host a grand reopening to introduce its new facilities in late April.

Barrett declined to name the cost of the project. Holmes, King, Kallquist & Associates is the architectural firm, while David B. Lee & Company, Inc. of Skaneateles is the contractor.

Barrett says the reason for this expansion is improved catering to guests. "We cater to large groups for weddings and special events," she says. "We'd like to offer that to larger groups."

During this time, the Packwood House, a 19-room inn that opened in December 2003 down the block from the Sherwood, will still accommodate guests. The Packwood House is a joint venture between William Eberhardt, owner of the Sherwood Inn, and Michael P. Falcone, chief executive officer of the Pioneer Companies, which owns the Hilton Garden Inn in Syracuse.

The Sherwood Inn was built in 1807 as a stagecoach stop. In 1973, William Eberhardt bought the property for $180,000 and reopened it in May 1974. Today, the business generates an estimated $5 million in sales.