Penn's Cave House is a historic structure, once used as a hotel from 1885 until 1919. It is located on the property of Penn's Cave & Wildlife Park at Gregg Township,

Centre County, Pennsylvania Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lands ...

. It is now used strictly for offices for Penn's Cave, Inc., and has not offered overnight or hotel accommodations since 1919. The Penn's Cave property includes seven contributing buildings, one contributing site (the cave), and two contributing structures. Penn's Cave House was built in 1885, and is a three-story, seven-bay, frame building with a high

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

. It sits on a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

foundation. It was extensively remodeled in 1938, and again in 1960. A one-story, rear wing was added in 1962, and was a coffee shop for cave visitors until 1980, when the Penn's Cave Visitors Center was built and opened. ''Note:'' This includes In 1980, it became a private residence. Its upper floors are used for corporate offices, private meetings and special events. The cave is a popular tourist attraction and features a natural curiosity with its Trenton (or Beekmantown)

formations. The cave measures approximately 1,300 feet in length and the height of the cave roof measures up to 55 feet above the surface of the stream which is 3 to 5 feet deep throughout the cave. The temperature within the cave remains a constant 52 degrees Fahrenheit year round. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978. Penn's Cave Airport is adjacent to the park. Penn's Cave was fined by the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

in 2021 for the deaths of 34 white tailed deer, 11 of which were shot. Some of the deer were killed for "looking sick" but there was no notification or consultation with the veterinarian as legally required. 18 of the 21 white tailed deer born at Penn's Cave in 2020 died. File:Penns Cave House (former hotel).JPG, The former hotel at the cave File:PennsCaveInside.JPG, Cave interior File:Karte Map Carte Penns Cave en.png, Map of Penn's Cave, October 2010

References

External links

Penn's Cave website
Caves of Pennsylvania Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1885 Buildings and structures in Centre County, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Centre County, Pennsylvania {{CentreCountyPA-NRHP-stub