The purchased property includes the Washington House Inn, on Washington Avenue at Columbia Road, and the buildings that house the Chocolate Factory and Amy’s Candy Kitchen.
The purchased property includes the Washington House Inn, on Washington Avenue at Columbia Road, and the buildings that house the Chocolate Factory and Amy’s Candy Kitchen.
CEDARBURG — The keys to the historic Washington House Inn have been passed to new owners after 40 years.
The boutique hotel, which includes three buildings and the historic Schroeder House in downtown Cedarburg, was sold for $3.6 million to Christine and Jeff McLean of Mequon. “I think we sold it to good buyers,” said Jim Pape, one of the former owners of the hotel. “They’re local and they want to keep up the tradition of the inn and they respect Cedarburg and the historic district. I think the transaction, from our side, we feel comfortable about who bought it.” The sale was closed on Dec. 18. “Jim and the team at the Inn have dedicated incredible care into preserving the history of the inn, maintaining its legacy as part of this community, and welcoming guests to Cedarburg for decades,” said Christine McLean. “We see ourselves as stewards of that tradition and hope to continue that legacy.”
The Washington House Inn, W62N573 Washington Ave., was founded in 1846 by Conrad Horneffer, who envisioned a hotel that would offer rest to travelers. Pape said the inn was originally a wooden structure, but was later replaced with the current cream city brick in 1886.
The three-story building operated as an inn until the 1920s and was converted for commercial use and apartments.
Pape purchased the building with three other partners in 1983; by that time Pape had already owned the Cedar Creek Settlement since 1972. Pape was motivated to turn the building back into a hotel as a way to keep visitors in Cedarburg.
“There were no accommodations at the time in Cedarburg, and so I thought there was a need,” Pape said. “And also the strategy was to help the downtown shops and restaurants have people stay overnight and spend more time in Cedarburg.”
After extensive renovations, the building reopened as a hotel with 15 rooms in 1984. Then the buildings that currently house the Chocolate Factory and Amy’s Candy Kitchen next door were purchased, adding 14 more rooms to the hotel. In 1994, the Schroeder House was purchased with five additional rooms added.
Always know what your neighbor knows with our newsletters, delivering the latest local news, sports, and breaking stories straight to your inbox!
“I think it had a positive impact on Cedarburg and downtown Cedarburg as a historic district,” Pape said. “It helped the merchants and the restaurants — The business performed as anticipated when we first conceived in doing a hotel.”
Pape was the general partner of the inn and oversaw business, but it was mainly run by staff and its innkeeper, Wendy Porterfield.
“She was the key person to run the hotel all these years,” Pape said, adding that Porterfield will be staying in her position at the inn.
Pape said the McLeans were planning to keep business as usual at the hotel under their ownership.
Pape stated that he has no plans to sell the Settlement.
For more information on the Washington House Inn, visit www.washingtonhouseinn.com.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
10 things to know this week from the WOW counties (Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington) sent on Sundays
Get the latest Ozaukee County news delivered Tuesday and Thursdays so you don’t miss out on updates.
Have Ozaukee County breaking news alerts sent to your inbox as they happen!
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
