Sterling Inn will require a visionary to restore landmark to its former glory after it's sold at auction Friday

STERLING — Bittersweet vines climb in tangles over the shuttered Sterling Inn Restaurant and Hotel.

And bittersweet best describes what's happened to the once-grand inn, taken by the town after around $300,000 in taxes went unpaid.

With its fancy staircases graced with unique iron railings, rich wood, still-furnished rental suites and a piano alongside tables that look ready for diners, the 1908 inn will soon be owned by someone new.

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"It sits on +1.6 acres and includes an additional +3.7 acre site directly across the street. The building features architectural elements reminiscent of Tudor design with prominent wood beams, stucco exterior, columns and wraparound patio," Paul Zekos of Zekos Group Auctioneers wrote in the online listing he hopes will lure the right person to bid on the Inn when it goes on the auction block at high noon Friday.

Potential bidders can register and attend an open house of the inn located at 240 and 223 Worcester Road, from 10:30 a.m. until noon the day of the sale.

Those interested in bidding will need to bring a $20,000 deposit and be prepared to pay an additional deposit bringing the total deposit to 10% of the purchase price by the business day, with closing in 30 days, according to Zekos.

A unique time capsule

In some ways, the building is a hulking time capsule documenting the many years it was open. There are claw-foot bathtubs surrounded by midcentury modern tiles in mint green or pink, a bow-front oak dresser, a fine wood cabinet with a leaded glass front and closet stocked with white waiters' shirts and black vests hanging under a shelf full of video games.

There are sponsorship plaques from various sports teams dated in the 1990s and down a narrow staircase, a wine cellar of sorts with dusty corked bottles awaiting a toast

In what looks like an office, there are invoices, menus and a box labeled "Tylenol and Advil" running the place must have, at sometimes, been a bit of a headache.

Those who drive by could be deterred by the aging stucco facade, but Zekos said they shouldn't be put off because it's clear the building still has good bones and could be something special with some time, labor and investment.

"If you look at the roofline, look at how straight is," Zekos said. "That's the thing I was amazed by when I came by for the first time ... the structure itself seems to be very sound."

Primed for a comeback

Regular passersby have watched as the outside of the building has deteriorated but Zekos is quick to point out that new windows, a roof and stucco repairs would make it shine again and it could be almost anything: a brewpub, a bank, commercial space, an inn and restaurant, a destination.

"That exterior canopy wraps all the way around," Zekos said, who added that while the canopy should be completely redone, it would be worth the effort because of the recent uptick in outdoor dining due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It'd be incredible if you could have a little bistro out here," he said.

The first floor is filled with dining spaces including a large main dining room and several smaller meeting-sized rooms that were likely used for small parties or private functions. In some, salt and pepper shakers still grace the tables.

The kitchen has suffered and would need a complete renovation but that's about the worst of the building.

The wooden shell of a telephone booth stands in the front hall and original wall sconces and hanging light fixtures are everywhere.

Small suites and bathrooms

Upstairs, the rental units sit behind numbered doors, many more like small suites of two rooms and a bathroom, flanked long carpeted hallways. In one, a Bible lay on the bed while in another, what seemed like the world's largest mattress sprawled across a wooden bed frame.

The hallway, a long passage, is paved with red carpet.

"Look down the hallway and you can see that everything is level," Zekos said. "The doorways are squared."

The Inn was the spot for weddings and family functions like graduation parties and anniversary celebrations, for years.

"The thing that has amazed me more than anything is the fact that everybody knows this location," Zekos said. "I am absolutely stunned by the popularity of the place. I mean, everybody has a story about the Sterling Inn."

Plenty of interest

Once word got out that the place would be sold at auction, Zekos started hearing from interested folks. He's gotten more and more excited about the sale and potential for the building as time has marched on.

Zekos said he hopes the buyer is someone who can work with the town to "make this a vibrant part of the community," adding that, "The town is really excited about it."

And while there are a lot of dreamers who'd love to own the Inn, the project will take more than a dream.

"We'll see who steps up because it's a special project for somebody. It's not a simple rehab. It's not like acquiring a commercial property that you can rent tomorrow," he said. "This requires a vision but I think with its iconic nature, whatever opens here, people are going to know where it is right away."

In late September, after four years of working to take the property for nonpayment of taxes, Treasurer/Collector Victoria Smith said that the court ruled a few weeks earlier that the town now owned the property based on the tax lien.

That threw a wrench into the wheel of a purchase plan in which three potential buyers had signed a purchase and sales agreement and exchanged money with the previous owners.

They'd planned to restore the restaurant and rent it. The second floor would also be renovated and with rooms for rent.

But the court order forced the town to send the parcel to auction.

While some might find the place a bit creepy-looking, Zekos said it has a good feel and he doesn't think it's haunted.

"I walked through it and sometimes you get a different feel of energy on these things. We say, 'good juju, bad juju,' but this? I think it has good energy," he said.

Go to zekosgroup.com/auctions/item/bw6918225 for more photos and information on the Sterling Inn and Friday's auction.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Sterling Inn will require a visionary to restore it following auction