The Hanover Inn: An Immense History, A Slight Remodel

On an evening stroll through what I half-heartedly deem uptown Hanover, I noticed an usual amount of commotion from the Hanover Inn. Through the windows of PINE, a veritable construction scene was occupying the restaurant’s dining room and bar. I thought to myself, “is the Hanover Inn renovating?” For as long as I have been at the College, the Hanover Inn has remained the same.

The Hanover Inn hosts the poshest guests that visit the town and it has since its establishment in the 1770s. At the behest of King George III, General Ebenezer Brewster arrived at Dartmouth from Connecticut to take up the role of college steward. Two East Wheelock Street, the current site of the Inn, served as the General’s residence. In 1780, the General converted his residence into a tavern—the business move of both an entrepreneur and a playboy. As one historian remarked that the tavern was “not altogether, it would seem, to the gratification of the College authorities.” Despite the dissenters at the College, Brewster’s son Amos prepared to expand the tavern by adding wings and new extensions to the structure. This building became known as the Dartmouth Hotel. In 1889, the Wheelock Hotel opened as its rival, and this caused a downturn in the revenues and reputation of the Dartmouth Hotel. To repair the sinking ship of the Dartmouth Hotel, it underwent significant modifications, and reestablished in 1903 as the Hanover Inn Dartmouth. 

The rest, they say, is history. The Hanover Inn has hosted the likes of F. Scott Fitzergald, Dr. Seuss, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. In 2011, the Hanover Inn closed to complete $43 million worth of renovations, bringing additions to the establishment such as the Minary Conference Center, Grand Ballroom, and the beloved PINE restaurant. The Inn boasts a AAA Four-Diamond Rating and is among the esteemed number of Historic Hotels of America. 

All of this still begs the question, “what is going on at the Inn?” As I trod home that evening, I devised a plan to get the answers I wanted. I emailed the sole email available on their website, entirely lacking in any kind of redirection for media inquiries: “individual.reservations@hanoverinn.com.” This was, I will admit, my first mistake. Despite my introduction stating that I was a journalist for a local student paper, and the bevy of questions in the body of the email that followed, the Hanover Inn was adamant that I was trying to reserve a room. After all, what else would anyone emailing “individual reservations” suggest? With their particularly unhelpful response, I set out to get answers in-person. Lucky for me, my parents were in town. The perfect time to take a trip to PINE.  

The work I had observed over the days leading up to my in-person visit always took place well after the restaurant had closed, and the bar had made its last call. The floors, it seemed, were their distinct focus. However, upon my visit to the restaurant, the floors looked largely the same. Perhaps a little lighter. After speaking with the hotel’s receptionist, my week of contemplation came to a close when I was informed that the floors had been buffed. The object of blame for all of my hopeful speculation is twofold. 

Firstly, PINE has, in fact, undergone significant changes internally. When I arrived at the College my freshman year, the food at PINE might as well have been from Molly’s, with the exception of a 15% price increase for the luxuries of PINE’s ambiance and capability to make reservations. As such, though the fare lacked any distinguishing quality, it was the ideal spot for a ritzy birthday dinner just off-campus or to take one’s parents. However, early last year it was whispered through the (rather small) gastronome circles of the Upper Valley that the good people of PINE had sent their chef to culinary school in either Boston or New York—the details of the exact location always remained imprecise. 

The location of the culinary institute mattered less to my fellow foodies than the implications of such a move: we would not have to journey our accustomed half hour (at least) to find ourselves a nice, and yes, a little fancy, meal. The result of the PINE chef’s new education is an improved menu with sophisticated offerings that surpass any other restaurant in Hanover. 

Make no mistake—I enjoy a meal from one of the many Dartmouth Dining locations with regularity, but there is something to be said for a moment away from DDS, and the mix of visiting alumni, locals, and graduate students provides a pleasant atmosphere to briefly escape the offerings on campus. 

The second reason for my great suspicion is mostly due to the construction-zone nature the campus has taken on in the last few years. Before the great Hopkins Center renovation which has pushed out classrooms, walkways, and gathering spaces, there were the great West End renovations which resulted in the Irving Center and the Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center. Two strikingly-modern buildings were unveiled on campus, and I struggle to think of campus without them. In addition to the ongoing renovations at the Hop, a large portion of the East Wheelock dormitory has been occupied by construction for the past several terms, working to renovate the dorm that was already leagues above the others. 

Not dissimilar to the story of the Dartmouth Hotel versus the Wheelock Hotel, the Six South Hotel renovated two years ago and has attracted traffic with its modern lobby and suites, located just off of Main Street. Compared to Six South, the Hanover Inn looks a little tired, and a facelift of sorts would do much to restore the hotel’s facade. 

This is all to say that in my three years at Dartmouth more so than at any other time in my life, the sight of construction is followed by great change—positive or negative. Additionally, life in Hanover forces one to make their own fun. As a fan of both history and hospitality, I had high hopes for the work at the Hanover Inn. The perennial issue for any New England institution such as the Inn will be the balancing-act between modernity and charm. In the meantime, however, I’ll enjoy my poached pear and fried chevre salad with a view of the Green, the freshly-buffed hardwood floors of PINE beneath my feet.