Chestnut Inn at Oquaga Lake Being Sold, Expected to Reopen Soon

An iconic hotel and restaurant east of Binghamton that's been idle for more than a decade could be back in business this summer.

The Chestnut Inn at Oquaga Lake is under contract with the pending sale expected to close this month.

The Maines family is in the process of selling the 12-acre property near Deposit to Settlers Hospitality of Hawley, Pennsylvania. The Chestnut Inn closed its doors in January 2010.

The property had been listed for $2.8 million. The current owners were said to have been waiting to find a buyer capable of operating the business in the same manner as visitors had experienced in the past.

According to a real estate listing, the 17,000-square-foot three-story building has a commercial kitchen, two dining rooms, a stone fireplace and a stage. Several one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites are on the second and third floors. The main building was renovated in 2006. There also are two cottages on the property.

Workers have been busy renovating the kitchen of the Chestnut Inn. Most of the building in the town of Sanford was constructed with North American chestnut wood.

Settlers Hospitality has been advertising for various positions, including executive chef, cooks, servers and housekeepers.

A Settlers Hospitality representative told WNBF News that a possible opening date has not been set. William Maines was not available for comment Monday afternoon.

The inn at Oquaga Lake was opened by Samuel Retzer as the Hotel Monoquaga in July 1928.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.