Change your mind about the Georgian Inn

                While being able to set specific goals then follow them through to completion is an attractive quality, the ability to listen to what others have to say and change your mind is a truly beautiful thing.  When developer Charles Charrie purchased the Zimmerman Mansion in 2010, his goal was to provide upper-scale office space.  However, as he began to speak with residents and learn more of the building’s history, he did something he rarely does (just ask his wife, Stephanie) – he changed his mind.

                Just after he’d purchased the property, Charles began his unique style of market research; he walked the streets of uptown Somerset during the Fire and Ice Festival and spoke with the people.  Though his original intent was to gauge the business market, he instead found himself in the role of investigative reporter.  Surprised to see the image of his new acquisition on postcards, wall art, and community literature, Chuck began to ask of his property, “What is that place?”

                People called it by different names: the Zimmerman Mansion, Manor Hill, The Inn at Georgian Place, even “Somerset’s most pretentious home” from some old-timers whose parents had witnessed its creation.    Construction of the Georgian era mansion began in 1915 solely for the living and entertainment needs of one family: Daniel Burnside (D.B.) Zimmerman, his wife Lizzie, their son Ralph, and daughter Sally.  Designed by architect Horace Trumbauer, the opulent home would employ cutting edge technology of the day, including a whole house vacuum system that would not be available to the public for several years. 

                The people of Somerset seemed to love talking about the mansion, pointing out that it had been listed with the National Registry of Historic Places; relaying that a local architect, E.H. Walker, had some input into its design, and that engineer Harvey Hostetler had supervised its construction.  They had as much to say about its owner, who had made his fortune in cattle in the West and coal in the East.  Father and son worked together in business while daughter, Sally, acted as official hostess of the many parties held “up on the hill.”  Wife and mother, Lizzie, has been reported to be both a simple homebody and a strong-willed woman ahead of her time.

                To Charrie, it seemed that the people of Somerset shared a sense of ownership and he decided right then to promote and cultivate that sentiment.  With an average crew of thirty, working 16 hours a day, in just sixty days, The Georgian Inn of Somerset was preserved, restored, and “given back to the community.”

                When asked to explain, Charles speaks with enthusiasm.  Each surface of the mansion was carefully examined; paint and coverings were removed one layer at a time, checking for hidden murals or designs, then painstakingly restored to the exact colors and finishes that had graced the mansion in its youth.  The native woods paneling – the rich dark finish of the master suite, attractive but functional wood accents in the servants’ quarters, the aromatic 30-drawer cedar closet – all have been restored and preserved, rather than replaced.

                The technology that was cutting edge when the Zimmermans took up residence in 1916 is just as extraordinary in 2016.  It was designed to last a lifetime and, under the careful maintenance of caring craftsmen, it still works today.  The polished brass and silver wall fixtures, and crystal and gold leaf chandeliers are controlled by push buttons rather than toggle light switches, and the flow of electricity is still funneled through tiny glass fuses.  The crank and rotary phones can still be used to call between rooms.

Doorknobs are glass, brass, or porcelain.  Carpets are deep, lush; tapestries and drapes of sophisticated design. Bathtubs have black-painted claw feet.  Furniture and decorations are true to the period.  Each of the nine fireplaces is functional and marble-fronted.  Everything in the twenty-some rooms of this structure speaks one word: luxury.

One thing has changed, though.  That luxury is now available to the public rather than by invitation-only.  Suites may be rented for a night or an extended stay.  Space is available for meetings, parties, weddings, or banquets.  Casual and formal dining is available on a walk-in basis, while breakfast and afternoon tea is for guests only or by reservation.  The 1915 Lounge offers a fine selection of wines, scotches, and aperitifs.

Charles Charrie has changed his mind about a number of things since coming to Somerset in 2010.  He left behind the idea of an office building in exchange for a luxury hotel.  He’s changed his mind about its name.  In celebration of its 100^th year and in deference to the community he has come to love, the Zimmerman Mansion is now Centennial Hotel: The Georgian Inn of Somerset.  And, he’s changed his mind about how long he’s going to stay.  Charrie usually invests about five years in one of his development projects before moving on to the next.  Next month, he will have been part of our community for six years.  If the joy he exudes as he tell the story of what the Inn was, is, and will be is any indicator, Charles and Stephanie just might be in Somerset long enough to write some history of their own.