This Quaint New England City’s Historic Courthouse Is Now a Luxurious Boutique Resort — See Inside

Tucked in western Connecticut, Litchfield is the quintessential New England weekend getaway with historic landmarks, museums, and scenic rural landscapes, as soon as house to notable figures reminiscent of abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe and Inexperienced Mountain Boys chief Ethan Allen. And simply in time for fall foliage season, the city has a brand new boutique resort that completely epitomizes its historic roots with out compromising modern-day luxuries.

The Abner, which opened on Sept. 12, is an intimate 20-key property housed within the former Litchfield County Courthouse with a seasonal rooftop bar with panoramic views of the city, a restaurant, and personal eating and occasion areas.

“This venture has been a labor of affection, preserving the courthouse’s architectural heritage whereas creating a complicated retreat for contemporary vacationers,” Kevin O’Shea, co-founder, and chief inventive officer of Salt Motels, the property’s minority proprietor and operator, mentioned in a press launch supplied to Journey + Leisure.

The inside design, helmed by O’Shea, pays homage to the constructing’s fascinating historical past by repurposing many unique particulars into the brand new design idea. For instance, whereas eating, some visitors might be seated on the unique judges’s benches, now serving as banquette seating, whereas the reception is outfitted with outdated jury bins. Equally, within the guestrooms and suites, which vary from 150 to 450 sq. ft, O’Shea hand-curated a choice of classic and customized furnishings and art work and paired them with a coloration palette impressed by the authorized tomes he and his crew discovered on-site (suppose wealthy ochre and black accents). Nonetheless, he additionally infused the areas with trendy comforts reminiscent of luxurious tub facilities, Tivoli Bluetooth radios, minibars stocked with native delicacies and snacks, and plush mattress linens.

This resort’s signature restaurant, The Courtroom, serves elegant tavern fare in a sunlit eating space with hovering ceilings, outsized home windows, and marble accents. The menu, dreamed up by chef Michael Alfeld, options continental and coastal dishes like Cajun hen, cottage pie, lobster ginger halibut, and stuffed Atlantic cod with white wine butter.

The resort is topped by The Verdict, a classy rooftop bar awash in pure hues, treating patrons to handcrafted cocktails and luxurious countryside vistas. 

And for those who’re questioning what occurred to the courthouse jail, it’s now an intimate, stone-walled house with a fire — aptly named The Lock Up — and is a part of the property’s distinctive occasions areas.

“We’re so excited to revitalize this vital piece of historic structure and to create a vibrant gathering place for Litchfield’s local people and our future visitors,” David Bowd, Salt Motels co-founder and chief govt, mentioned, including that the resort’s crew is raring to create “experiences that we hope might be really memorable for all of our visitors.”

Nightly charges at The Abner Resort begin from $250, and you may e book your keep on theabnerhotel.com.