Its soon-to-be new owners say they look forward to preserving the property’s rich history while adding modern features that will make it a year-round draw in the village.

Pittsburgh residents Bill and Jill Curry attended last week’s meeting of the Bemus Point Village Board to update trustees of their ongoing purchase of the Hotel Lenhart. Once the sale is final, the pair will be the first outside the family through four generations to own the Lakeside Drive property on Chautauqua Lake.

The Currys are planning major upgrades to the Hotel Lenhart to make it a year-round operation with more than 50 full-time employees. The $9.9 million modernization effort will include the installation of heating and air conditioning, as well as adding bathrooms to each room. A new addition on the roof also is being considered that will provide further breathtaking views of the lake.

Conceptual drawings for improvements to the hotel — including the rooftop addition — were available to view at the Village Board meeting .

The Hotel Lenhart is known for its veranda which, when open during the season, is filled with colorful rocking chairs that face Chautauqua Lake. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

When asked for an update on the sale, Jill Curry told trustees they hoped to be done on or before April 30. The two had been looking at an October closing date last year, though the date has been pushed into 2023.

“We’re anxious,” Bill Curry said last week. “There’s a lot of balls in the air, a lot of people involved and a lot of help and a lot of interest.”

Public hearings were held Tuesday regarding funding sought by the Currys toward renovations. The village will be applying for a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant through the New York State Office of Community Renewal and a Restore New York Grant up to $2 million through Empire State Development.

A public hearing for the CDBG grant was held last August. However, because the application was not submitted in 2022, another hearing to collect public input was required this year.

The Office of Community Renewal provides funding to municipalities and organizations to support public infrastructure projects, job creation and small business development, and to create and preserve affordable housing.

The Restore New York Communities Initiative provides financial assistance for the revitalization of commercial and residential properties. The program encourages community development and neighborhood growth.

“It’s all good,” Bill Curry said of the planned multi-million-dollar renovation that will allow the Hotel Lenhart to operate year-round for the first time in the property’s history. The hotel as always been a summer destination, currently open each season from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

“We’re excited about the project,” he added. “Everybody seems to be excited that we’re doing it, which is refreshing.”

Bemus Point Mayor Jeff Molnar expressed gratitude toward the pair’s purchase and their plans for the Hotel Lenhart.

“I think the great thing is that you’re preserving a very historic building, one of two left around the lake, and God bless you for doing that,” Molnar said. “We’re all pretty excited about it.”

Bill Curry responded, “Well, it’s an honor to be part of the project, really. That’s how we look at it.”

RICH HISTORY

History of the Hotel Lenhart dates back to 1880. The original establishment was built by Dr. J.J. Lenhart and his wife. As noted in an Aug. 17, 1963, article in The Post-Journal, debts incurred in construction of the hotel had just been paid off when, on Oct. 9, 1891, the structure was destroyed by fire. The current building was constructed in 1892, opening that season as the Lenhart House.

Dr. Lenhart’s wife, Dora, managed the hotel after his death. When she died in 1934, their daughter, Charlotte Johnston, took over its management.

In June 1941, another fire damaged the roof and fourth floor of the property.

George and John Johnston took over management in 1968.

In 1980, the hotel celebrated its 100th anniversary. Then-owner John Johnston told The Post-Journal in a September 1979 story on the upcoming celebration that many of the features and amenities that made the hotel great had been kept in place.

The story notes: “All of the registers back to 1881 have been kept. Names of people from Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Buffalo are written in the huge books with a quill pen script. John said that back then many of the visitors took trains to Jamestown or Mayville and then rode a steamer to Bemus Point. At that time, many people stayed all summer.”

Among the hotel’s many notable feature is its veranda that stretches the width of the property. Colorful rocking chairs also provide a comfortable view of the water.

From the veranda, the newspaper noted in 1979, “guests have seen great steamboats chug past and women stroll by with long skirts swishing over the grass, escorted by coat-clad men in straw hats.”

As noted on its website, the Hotel Lenhart has a main floor and three sleeping floors totaling 53 rooms. The hotel was originally built without plumbing or electric.

Bill Curry told The Post-Journal he and his wife would further detail the renovation project once the sale of the hotel goes through.