The Riverdale Inn
Jacksonville, FL
This is not an active listing. Please visit the inns for sale page to search our active listings.
The former grand estate of a well-to-do Jacksonville lumber baron, this imposing, turn-of-the-century structure was rescued from imminent demolition by its current owners - fast-thinking, forward-thinking folks who recognized both its historic significance and potential as a unique lodging alternative.
'Back in the day' more than fifty grand estates lined the tree-lined avenue that locals referred to as "the row". Today, many of the old mansions have been repurposed as business and professional offices, restaurants, retail spaces and galleries. Jacksonville's premier art museum and its most charming river-front park are both within a block of the Inn. Two of the city's major medical facilities, luxury, water-front condo towers, corporate headquarters buildings, performance venues, boutiques, private homes and pocket parks are scattered throughout the walkable neighborhood.
Interiors of the 3-story, 9,000 sq. ft. Riverdale Inn are expansive and stunning. Many of the fine materials and features of the original structure remain intact today - solid heart pine floors, intricate wainscoting, deep generous moldings, elegant staircases, tall ceilings and multi-paned windows. Fireplaces add a welcoming ambiance to the reception rooms and some guest rooms. Twenty-first century convenience is evident in en suite guest baths, king and queen sized bedding, cable television, wireless Internet access, fully equipped commercial kitchen, handicapped accessibility and on-site parking.
The Riverdale draws on its in-town location to attract business and meeting guests, medical professionals and patient families and social-leisure guests seeking an intimate and luxurious setting with the convenience of an urban location close to performance and sports venues, restaurants, shopping and Jacksonville's nightlife.
Unlike other small properties, occupancy at the Riverdale is heavily weighted to Sunday - Thursday stays due to the number of business and meeting guests who frequent the inn. Weekends, when most inns experience their greatest occupancy, present an opportunity for new owners to develop more social-leisure business increasing occupancy and revenue.
Current licenses permit operation of a 12-room lodging property, 60-seat full-service restaurant and alcoholic beverage sales and service. The current owners elected to shut-down restaurant operations in 2009 when the young chef, the driving force behind the restaurant, decided to pursue another career. The owners of the Inn have maintained the restaurant and beverage licenses and continue to derive income from hosting private functions at the Inn - group dinners, receptions, teas, luncheons, etc.
Though there is no municipal requirement for owners to live on-site, an owner or manager's pied-a-terre is located in the former carriage barn which is tucked beneath a century-old live oak. A new owner who chooses to live off-site could repurpose this space as guest rooms, auxiliary meeting room or function space.
This property also appears on these pages: