Saxonburg officials ‘concerned’ about state of Hotel Saxonburg as it awaits new owner
SAXONBURG — As the Hotel Saxonburg remains unsold following a recent Sheriff sale, the state of the nearly two-century-old property is near the top of the mind of some borough officials and residents.
“We’re really concerned that it’s been sitting there vacant for so long,” said Mayor Dave Johnston following a borough council meeting Tuesday, May 19.
The hotel and restaurant on Saxonburg’s Main Street, which dates back to 1832, closed in March 2025 due to financial difficulties.
Although there was reported interest from at least one potential buyer, the property wound up in a sheriff’s sale which — despite being delayed twice — yielded no interested buyers when it finally took place on Friday, May 15.
The closure occurred roughly a year and a half after the property was acquired by Annette Gervais and Lee Uncapher in October 2023. According to Butler County court records, the two — under a company name — defaulted on loans of $600,000 and $50,000 from Northwest Bank which were both made in October 2023.
The bank’s judgment amount for the sheriff’s sale was at $700,894.05.
“I’m not happy about it. We need it back open as a restaurant,” said Saxonburg resident Blane Martin.
Johnston believes that Saxonburg’s main street, usually packed with thriving small businesses, has taken a hit since Hotel Saxonburg’s closure. He has a front-row seat because his wife, Nancy Alberth, runs one of those small businesses.
“On Main Street, I think if you take a look at the businesses, they're all down because of the fact that the hotel has been out (of business),” Johnston said. “My wife owns Red Door Antiques and she’s in the Saxonburg Area Business Association. They all talk and they all agree that they have lost revenue as a result of this. It was a destination point for people from all over the area to come and eat lunch or dinner and then visit the shops while they were here. And that no longer occurs.”
Johnston also expressed concern about the potential deterioration of the building the longer it sits without a new owner.
“We’re concerned about the status of the inside of the building and the outside,” Johnston said. “If the bank continues to hold on to it, we’re gonna have to work with them to get them to at least continue to clean up and do maintenance on the building and possibly whatever it takes to make sure that the inside does not get deteriorated to the point of having to condemn it.”
Borough manager Steven May theorized the financial risks associated with the purchase, as well as the age of the building, may have deterred potential buyers.
“It’s hard with a building like that, I understand. There are the historic implications of it, as well as walking into a building that probably needs about a hundred thousand dollars worth of work,” May said. “It’s sticker shock. People saw a big number staring at them: $700,000-plus.”
Johnston believes part of the reason the building did not attract interest during the sheriff’s sale is because, in Butler County, sheriff’s sales are all-digital — as they have been since 2024.
“It’s all done online, so nobody gets a chance to really take a look at it,” Johnston said. “For me, if I was going to invest a lot of money into a building like that, I’d want to look at it. I’d want to look at it before I put up money to buy it.”
“That’s a risk you take when you’re doing a sheriff sale,” May said. “They may have better results if they do sell it through the bank.”
Still, May believes there is hope a buyer can be found for the old restaurant. At the borough council meeting held Tuesday night, May 19, he revealed that another shuttered Saxonburg restaurant — Zacherl’s Tavern and Restaurant — recently sold to an “established restaurateur,” with closing expected to take place June 1.
“We're looking forward to having that restaurant back open,” May said.
