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The Union Hotel is a
historic landmark
A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...
located on Main Street in Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in and the county seat of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Flemington Historic District.
First constructed by Neal Hart in 1814, it served as a gathering place for well-to-do
In November 2012, the Flemington Borough Council selected Flemington Union Hotel LLC to revive and restore the once prominent Union Hotel on historic Main Street. Flemington Union Hotel LLC's principals Matt McPherson and Liam Burns envisioned to revive the Union Hotel as a 50 to 55-room hotel that would expand into the building next door at 78 Main St. The plan called for adding a ballroom on the back and establishing a steakhouse and a pub on the ground floor. In June 2015, they were found to be in default of the redevelopment agreement and removed as developers.
In February 2016, Flemington Borough Council selected Jack Cust as the new developer. His plans included demolishing the Union Hotel and replacing it with a new hotel, restaurants, retail space, underground parking, and a college. This caused much controversy in and around Flemington. In March, Flemington Borough council approved the plans.
In September 2016, The Friends of Historic Flemington, a local group opposed to the redevelopment, filed two lawsuits against Flemington Borough. One alleging that the process to designate the hotel as an area in need of redevelopment was not properly followed and that the Borough failed to follow New Jersey's Open Public Meetings Act. The other alleging that the Borough failed to properly respond to requests for documents under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act.
In March and April 2017, the Friends of Historic Flemington filed two additional lawsuits against the town.
In May 2017, plans to demolish the hotel were scuttled and a new plan to preserve the facade of the hotel and the Deats Building was introduced.
In September 2020, Jack Cust unveiled another revision of the plans reducing the height of the building from 87ft to 63ft, preserving the Potting Shed building, and removing the medical and educational facilities.
In November 2020, work to stabilize the old hotel began.
In September 2021, the last remaining lawsuit between the developer and the Friends of Historic Flemington was settled resulting in adoption of the September 2020 plan.
By April 2022, the demolition phase of the project had been completed.
In January 2024, it was announced that
stagecoach
A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
passengers and socialites throughout the 19th Century, as well as many local characters and tourists visiting the area. The exterior of the present building dates to 1878.
It gained national notoriety in the early months of 1935 when the trial of Bruno Hauptmann
Bruno Richard Hauptmann (November 26, 1899 – April 3, 1936) was a German-American carpenter who was convicted of the abduction and murder of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Mo ...
for the kidnapping of Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr. was conducted directly across the street at the Hunterdon County Courthouse and members of the national media covering the trial all stayed at the hotel.
Decades later the property was purchased by new owners, renovated, restored, and converted into what is now officially known as the Union Hotel Restaurant. The second and third floors (which once housed hotel patrons) were left empty and unoccupied, adding to the growing mythos surrounding the widely recognized Hunterdon County
Hunterdon County is a County (United States), county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county was the state's List of counties in New Jersey, 4th-least populous ...
icon.
Murals created by Carl Ritz with the assistance of Kurt Wiese
Kurt Wiese (April 22, 1887 – May 27, 1974) was a German-born book illustrator, who wrote and illustrated 20 children's books and illustrated another 300 for other authors.
Background
Kurt Wiese was born on April 22, 1887, in Minden, Germa ...
adorn the hotel.
2008 closure
In July 2008, managing partner John Blanos announced that the Union Hotel Restaurant would sell its liquor license but remain open. However, in August he announced that the restaurant would close, and that the liquor license would be sold to Bensi, an Italian chain restaurant soon to open elsewhere in Flemington. At a special Flemington Borough Council meeting in September 2008, the transfer of the liquor license was rejected, but Blanos nonetheless stated that the restaurant would close immediately and that he was negotiating with a potential buyer. Blanos said that the Union Hotel had been steadily losing money since he and his partners bought it in 1999.Redevelopment
In November 2012, the Flemington Borough Council selected Flemington Union Hotel LLC to revive and restore the once prominent Union Hotel on historic Main Street. Flemington Union Hotel LLC's principals Matt McPherson and Liam Burns envisioned to revive the Union Hotel as a 50 to 55-room hotel that would expand into the building next door at 78 Main St. The plan called for adding a ballroom on the back and establishing a steakhouse and a pub on the ground floor. In June 2015, they were found to be in default of the redevelopment agreement and removed as developers.
In February 2016, Flemington Borough Council selected Jack Cust as the new developer. His plans included demolishing the Union Hotel and replacing it with a new hotel, restaurants, retail space, underground parking, and a college. This caused much controversy in and around Flemington. In March, Flemington Borough council approved the plans.
In September 2016, The Friends of Historic Flemington, a local group opposed to the redevelopment, filed two lawsuits against Flemington Borough. One alleging that the process to designate the hotel as an area in need of redevelopment was not properly followed and that the Borough failed to follow New Jersey's Open Public Meetings Act. The other alleging that the Borough failed to properly respond to requests for documents under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act.
In March and April 2017, the Friends of Historic Flemington filed two additional lawsuits against the town.
In May 2017, plans to demolish the hotel were scuttled and a new plan to preserve the facade of the hotel and the Deats Building was introduced.
In September 2020, Jack Cust unveiled another revision of the plans reducing the height of the building from 87ft to 63ft, preserving the Potting Shed building, and removing the medical and educational facilities.
In November 2020, work to stabilize the old hotel began.
In September 2021, the last remaining lawsuit between the developer and the Friends of Historic Flemington was settled resulting in adoption of the September 2020 plan.
By April 2022, the demolition phase of the project had been completed.
In January 2024, it was announced that David Burke (chef)
David Burke (born February 27, 1962) is an American chef and restaurateur, known for his appearance on the reality TV program ''Iron Chef America''.
Early life
Born in Brooklyn NY and raised in Hazlet, New Jersey, Burke is a graduate of the Cul ...
would be opening a restaurant on the first floor of the hotel once it's completed.
Legends
The belief that the hotel was haunted is quite prevalent, though few members of the public were ever allotted access to levels above the dining hall where a few rooms are used by management for business purposes andghost
In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
sightings or poltergeist
In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...
incidents have been reported by employees. One reported seeing a pair of shoes walk up a staircase all by themselves. Others have told of hearing or seeing small children in rooms despite the absence of hotel guests. The manager claimed to have felt an unseen presence in her office late one night when she knew she was all alone.
References
{{Restaurants in New Jersey Flemington, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Hunterdon County, New Jersey Hotels in New Jersey Restaurants in New Jersey Hotel buildings completed in 1814 1814 establishments in New Jersey Hotel buildings completed in 1878 Reportedly haunted locations in New Jersey Historic district contributing properties in New Jersey Historic district contributing properties in Hunterdon County, New Jersey