Iconic Onset inn getting back to its roots
It's had several different names over the years: The Glen Cove Hotel, the Onset Harbor Inn, and the Stonebridge Inn, to name a few.
Now, the big yellow inn at 167 Onset Ave. is getting back to its roots.
Purchased earlier this year by the Salerno family -- owners of Marc Anthony's Pizzeria and Salerno's Seaside Function Hall in Onset -- brothers Mark and John Salerno say they want the inn to be a quiet retreat with a relaxing, casual restaurant.
The name? The Glenn Cove Inn & Restaurant.
The inn will essentially look like it does now, "but she's going to be all spruced up," said Mark Salerno. "We're going to bring everything back to the way she used to be."
A victim of foreclosure, the inn and its adjacent pub and outdoor tiki bar have sat vacant since November, 2010.
The Salernos are not interested in operating the pub, however. That property, which has its own address at 169 Onset Ave., was sold separately.
A private, two-level residence will be built in the pub's place, said Mark Salerno.
The tiki bar and the outdoor pool are also going away.
The permitting process to demolish the tiki bar took a bit longer than expected, but is nearly complete, the brothers said. It will be knocked down in a week or two. The outdoor pool will be filled in.
The Salernos are currently cooking up a menu for the restaurant. They're aiming for entrees in the $10 to $20 range.
The restaurant will not be used for any functions, nor are any live performances likely to take place.
"Whatever we do," Mark Salerno said, "it's going to be quiet."
John Salerno said he hopes that the reopening of the inn will "make the village more alive" and bring customers to the shops in Onset Village.
He noted: "It's a signature property."
It's not the first rehabilitation project the family has taken on.
The pizzeria has been in operation since 1978, and in 2002, the family purchased the buildings adjacent to the restaurant, and renovated them into vacation condos and Salerno's Seaside Function Hall.
That project was "a tremendous amount of work," said John Salerno.
Mark Salerno noted that the overhaul took 35 dumpsters.
The brothers don't anticipate such a project at the inn, which is located less than a mile from the pizzeria.
"There's been work done over the years with the different owners," Mark Salerno explained, so the rooms are nearly ready-to-go.
With a little elbow grease, the family hopes to be taking reservations for the 2013 summer season soon. An April, 2013, opening is anticipated.
What would you like to see on the Glenn Cove's menu? The Salernos want to know! An information night will be held September 4 at 7 p.m. at Salerno's Seaside Function Hall, 196 Onset Ave. To reserve a spot, call Nicole Micelli at 508-291-6182.