Our Plans for the Delaware Inn

The restoration and rehabilitation of the Delaware Inn will not simply create another museum. Instead, it will establish a multi-use building with community space, café, offices and exhibition space. With its location across from the recently opened South River Walk Park, the rehabilitation project will serve as a catalyst for the revival of the South Trenton waterfront and surrounding residential community.

Built in 1798, the Inn was a large tavern within the burgeoning river front community of Lamberton. Through the nineteenth century, it provided food, drink and lodging to the surrounding neighborhood. As Lamberton became more industrial with manufacturing plants and breweries, the clientele of the Delaware Inn changed from sailors and fishermen to factory workers. In 1942, after 150 years as a tavern, the Inn became the offices of a local brewing company in 1942. In 1986, with the decline of industry in Trenton, the brewery and the Delaware Inn were abandoned. However, as it has for over 200 years, the building remains a community landmark.

The Port of Trenton Museum has a ten-year lease and undertook a preservation plan and National Register Nomination in 2009-10. This plan is the basis for Phase I of the building’s rehabilitation, for which we are currently seeking funding and includes the essential work required to put the building back in use. It will return the exterior of the building to its earlier appearance, allow the building’s first and second floors to be opened for public use, specifically as a community gathering space and museum.

Stabilization of the exterior masonry and interior framing is currently being completed to ensure the building will remain standing until funding for the restoration is available.

Exterior work includes replacement with appropriate windows and the restoration of the two entrance doors on the main façade. The front entrance porch will be reconstructed, giving the Inn significant presence on the street and allow for construction of an accessible entry ramp. The rear framed tower story will be removed, the original roof line will be reconstructed. Underground utilities will be brought to the curb and inappropriate site features will be removed. The entire building will be painted.

During Phase I, interior rehabilitation will be limited to the first and second floors. The existing wood floor will be repaired and replaced. In most areas, the existing plaster will be repaired.

Exposed brick walls will remain. Where baseboards, window trim remains and fireplace openings remain, they will be restored. Where gone, new finishes will be installed. New doors will be installed. Essential building systems and lighting will be installed. The ground floor will be devoted to a café, community and exhibition space, while museum offices will occupy the second floor until additional funding allows for the restoration of the building’s remaining spaces. An addition will house accessible bathrooms.

Phase II of the Inn’s restoration will include rehabilitation of the building’s third floor and the expansion of the addition. At that time, offices will be moved to the third floor, leaving the second floor for public use. The installation of new building systems begun in Phase I also will be completed.

This phased approach allows for the Delaware Inn to begin operation as a public meeting space for the surrounding community and museum and to evolve and develop over time.

The Delaware Inn is intended to serve as a focus of local community activity, meetings and programs. The café will provide a gathering space for the community. The Inn’s restoration and rehabilitation is a critical focus for the revival of the South Trenton waterfront, an important facet of the City’s history that has largely been lost.

The Inn is adjacent to the South River Walk Park, which focuses on the history of Trenton and its connection to the Delaware River. Five arches of materials represent various eras of the city- from pre-revolutionary through the Industrial Revolution to the modern era-are complemented with granite markers highlighting important events. The Inn’s exhibits will mesh well with the park’s history-themed exhibits and the café will be a destination for South River Walk Park visitors.