By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
The Peacock Inn has had a storied history as a place of respite for members of the Continental Congress, as a speakeasy and even collapsed under the weight of Princeton football players. But it had begun to fall into disrepair until new owners renovated the Bayard Lane mansion this year.
The colonial-style mansion reopened under the ownership of Barry and Elaine Sussman following an extensive three-year renovation, which transformed the building into a modern 16-room luxury hotel, restaurant, and bar in February.
”The Peacock Inn is the only hotel in Princeton other than the Nassau Inn. It was quite run down and I thought that I could do something very special there. I live in the area and being a hotelier I wanted to do something in my ‘backyard,’” said Mr. Sussman. “I grew up in the area and live here now and always wanted to do something in Princeton. I really like the Princeton market.”
The Sussmans’ first priority was to create “a first-class hotel and restaurant.” When the renovation began, there were 17 rooms and nine bathrooms and a “very tired” restaurant, said Mr. Sussman. “All rooms had to have their own bathrooms and the restaurant had to be a showplace and be able to create spaces for private events and parties,” he added.
The original building was taken down to the studs and rebuilt, said Annette Palmieri, the designer of the project. “The original plan was to do a cosmetic update but that was not to be as the inn was in total disrepair with bathrooms in the hallways, unusable furniture, water damage, etc. … It is basically all new except for the facade. Everything was completely taken down to the original studs, of which most had to be replaced, as well.”
Part of the mansion’s prohibition history was uncovered during the renovation process when the construction crew tore down drywall in the downstairs area that is now Peacock Alley, a private meeting and dining room, and unearthed original prohibition-era drawings on cement. One mural features John Von Neumann, the famed Princeton University mathematician, who was known for driving his car around town while reading a book.
”At the time (we discovered them,) I had no idea have special they were,” said Mr. Sussman. “We have since learned that the artist is John Held Jr.”
Mr. Held was an American cartoonist whose work epitomized the “Jazz Age” of the 1920s; he contributed to Life, The New Yorker and had two comic strips. He died in Belmar, where he was stationed during World War II, in 1958
In order to preserve these whimsical drawings, the Sussmans had the artwork cut out of the foundation, framed, and have placed the drawings throughout the restaurant.
The Peacock Inn dates back to the 1700s when it was built on the corner of Main Street (now Nassau Street) and Railroad Avenue (now University Place). Jonathan Deare, a member of the Continental Congress, purchased the property from Thomas Stockton in 1779. According to “Hageman’s Princeton,” he offered members of the Continental Congress two rooms with fireplaces, two beds with bedding, breakfast, tea for two, and dinner for four.
After being sold several times through the years, The Peacock Inn was moved to its present location on Bayard Lane in 1875 after it was purchased by the Princeton Hotel Co.
According to the Princeton Historical Society records, the house changed ownership again in December 1883 when William Libbey, president and financier of the Princeton Hotel Co. purchased the home. Mr. Libbey was a very prominent Princeton figure. Not only was he a Princeton graduate and professor, but he was also the person who established orange and black as the university colors and introduced the telephone to Princeton, and his house was one of the first to have a telephone.
The Peacock Inn was opened as an inn in 1911 by then owners Joseph and Helen O’Connor and has been operating as one ever since. According to the Historical Society, the inn was named after an inn in Midland, England, because the peacock was a symbol of good food, royalty and good luck.
The inn served as a local hangout for Princeton University students.
According to Mrs. Evatt, who then purchased the inn in 1954, the entire Princeton football team came to the inn one day and happened to be standing outside on the porch. Due to the weight of the team, the porch collapsed, taking the football team down with it. A quick-thinking photographer snapped a shot of the incident and later that year the photograph won a prize and was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine.
Today The Peacock Inn is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, a collection of more than 500 hotels in 70 countries around the world.
On Sunday, the Peacock Inn began serving Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (reservations are highly recommended). The two-course, $30 prix fixé brunch features items such as Eggs Benedict or Brioche French Toast, or something more on the exotic side like fresh pappardelle, a wide-ribbon pasta dish, or lobster crêpes.

