Hotel Saxonburg as seen on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
A long-standing Butler County hotel, bar and restaurant announced it is closing Wednesday, March 5, following a Mardi Gras celebration one day earlier.
The Hotel Saxonburg, 220 W. Main St. in Saxonburg, announced in a Facebook post that it will close its doors effective immediately.
The business cited health issues, rising costs of food and growing expenses associated with maintaining the historic building in the Facebook post as reasons for ceasing operations.
“It has been an honor to serve this wonderful community, and we’re truly grateful for the memories and support we’ve shared along the way,” part of the post stated. “It has been a privilege to host so many of you and we will miss the connections, camaraderie and smiling faces.”
Current owners and Sarver residents Annette Gervais and Lee Uncapher purchased the nearly 200-year-old business in August 2023, from previous owner Judy Ferree.
“Thank you to all our guests, staff and supporters,” the rest of the Facebook post stated. “Your loyalty has meant the world to us, and we will forever hold fond memories of the Hotel Saxonburg with all of you.”
The duo completed a few renovation projects over the past year, with features like a room called “Annette’s Fine Dining,” which is centered in the middle of the main floor of the restaurant.
They also brought in new menu items and started serving brunch on Sundays, which Arianna Afshari, general manager and the daughter of Gervais, said in previous reporting had been beneficial to the Saxonburg community.
“Business owners have reached out and thanked us because we are helping give them another day of commerce,” Afshari said. “Since we are a destination in the area, now people are coming to us for brunch, and then they want to go shopping at the little shops here and some are also considering being open on Sunday.”
Hotel Saxonburg was founded in 1832 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The hotel was also previously known as The Central Hotel and The Laune House.
Fred Rogers, of Pittsburgh’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” was a frequent guest of Hotel Saxonburg when his show was popular in the 1980s.
Within two hours of the restaurant’s post to Facebook, 150 people had commented about the news and more than 630 had reacted to the post.
The comment section featured a range of reactions, some complimenting the food and service, and thanking the owners for the memories at the historic spot, while others expressed disapproval of the renovations that were implemented by the new owners. Others yet were concerned with what it meant for their gift cards.
The Butler Eagle reached out to the Hotel Saxonburg and management said they are not commenting any further at this time.
One of the dining rooms of the Hotel Saxonburg as seen on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
Annette Gervais, left, and Lee Uncapher, new owners of Hotel Saxonburg in Saxonburg, take a photo in a newly renovated dining space on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Butler Eagle File Photo
Kyle Prudhomme
Hotel Saxonburg as seen on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle
