New Eastville Inn owner gives update to Northampton Board

The new owner of the Eastville Inn gave the Northampton Board of Supervisors an update at their July work session Tuesday night in Eastville.

According to John Greenside, an attorney from Virginia Beach, the building was in serious need of structural repair. He reported that most of the brick work on the building, both aesthetic and structural, had been repointed. He had to lift the northern most section of the building, at one time the town’s Post office, to fix the foundation and reattach the joists. However, the structural work is not yet completed. He still needs to remove a concrete floor in the basement, dig down several inches and replace it, along with new piers which are currently supporting the building. He also plans to sister boards to the floor joists.

He has been able to complete other upgrades both interior and exterior, including new paint and lighting. He has purchased new kitchen equipment, including a stove, convection oven and refrigeration.

Next on the work schedule for the building is to have the floors refinished and to finish the kitchen upgrades.

And as for the $64,000 question, Greenside reported he was hoping to shoot for an October opening, but added it was all dependent on how quickly work could progress. When asked what his plans were in the northern section of the structure, he said he had ideas, but no plans, and his idea was either for a bakery, an ice cream shop or both.

Greenside purchased the 1830s era inn in August of last year. At the time he said he hoped he would begin selling lunches within five months. Several citizens spoke against the sale by the County.

The building was modernized in the 1920s and the interior was renovated in the late twentieth century; therefore many of the materials have been replaced but have maintained the building’s historical significance through design and feeling. A tavern has operated on this site since as early at 1724, according to the National Register of Historic Places.