The Spa at Norwich Inn, in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

, formerly known as Norwich Inn, is a historic hotel. established in 1929 or 1930 It is located at 607 West Thames Street ( CT-32), in Norwich. It is owned and operated by the

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is a federally recognized American Indian tribe in the state of Connecticut. They are descended from the Pequot people, an Algonquian-language tribe that dominated the southern New England coastal areas, and t ...

. It was built as the Norwich Inn in 1930, with a

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

-style building. It had 75 guest rooms and a golf course. A local history describes the golf course as having been developed earlier from a six-hole course, expanded to a nine-hole course, and expanded again to an 18-hole course, apparently before 1929. An early promotional card from the Norwich Inn stated:

Stepping out of the INN onto a broad observation veranda one hundred feet long, the golfer descends onto the first tee green for a tour around eighteen holes as a beautiful sporty course running through hill and dale that is liked by all who use it. The leading pros of the country have played many matches on this course. Special privileges are given to the golfing guests of the INN to use the course.

Besides golf, the inn also offered equestrian paths for horse riders. Visitors over the years included

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor and activist. He was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the first nomination came in 1954 for his performance in ''Roman Holiday'', ...

Bert Lahr Irving Lahrheim (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American actor. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the MGM adaptation of ...

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

, and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

. After World War II it was owned by the City of Norwich, and was operated as a boardinghouse and as jail overflow. It was sold in 1983 to the Edward J. Safdie Group, which renovated it and built a separate Spa building. It was purchased in 1994 by the

. In 2000 a $15 million renovation and expansion was completed and it was renamed as "The Spa at Norwich Inn." In 2020, it was a member of the

Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels that have maintained their authenticity, sense of pla ...

. In 2022, the hotel was no longer a member.

References

Hotels in Connecticut Norwich, Connecticut Mashantucket Pequot Tribe {{Connecticut-struct-stub

See also

References