Listing agent: Hotel Saxonburg close to being sold
The Hotel Saxonburg’s long wait for a new owner may be on the verge of ending.
The 194-year-old former hotel and restaurant, a longtime fixture on Saxonburg’s main street, is no longer listed for sale on online real estate sites.
According to Kimberley Crase, of real estate firm American Destiny Real Estate Services, a buyer is under contract to purchase the Hotel Saxonburg property and is expected to close on it by mid-November, although she declined to reveal who the buyer is.
Crase said, to the best of her knowledge, the new owner will preserve the Hotel Saxonburg as a hotel and restaurant as it has operated as for most of, if not all, its 194-year existence.
“To my knowledge, the buyer is planning to open it back up like it was: a restaurant and hotel,” Crase said. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
Although she cannot reveal the identity of the buyer, Crase said the buyer is local to the area.
Hotel Saxonburg, which originally opened in 1832, was a fixture and a center of social activity in the borough for nearly 200 years, until it was forced to close in March 2025 due to financial difficulties. The previous owners, Lee Uncapher and Annette Gervais, defaulted on two loans totaling $650,000 to Northwest Bank.
The property went through the sheriff’s sale process in May of this year with an asking price of $700,000, but no buyer stepped forward, even though the sheriff’s sale had been delayed twice. As a result, Northwest Bank assumed control of the property for $4,354.45. The property went back up for sale in July of this year for a reduced price of $550,000.
Butler County property records show the Hotel Saxonburg property is still owned by Northwest Bank as of Monday.
According to Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s database, Hotel Saxonburg’s former liquor license is currently in “safekeeping” status.
“The Hotel Saxonburg has a rich history as a centerpiece of the town,” said Saxonburg resident Fred Caesar. “The news of a new owner who wants to continue the tradition is great news. It will be great to see the hotel and restaurant open again and be a part of the business and social community.”
