Signs with a Story: The Copper Beech Inn in Ivoryton is under new management and will re-open in four weeks according to the signs (Photo by Jerome Wilson)
The Copper Beech Inn in the Ivoryton section is expected to reopen in May under new owners, including former East Hampton builder and developer Wayne Rand. The inn at 46 Main Street, which included two restaurants, closed in February.
The closing followed a foreclosure action in November where Ivoryton-Main LLC of East Hampton foreclosed on CBI Acquisitions of Old Saybrook. The foreclosure on the partnership that was run by Ian and Barbara Phillips of Old Saybrook lists several other creditors, including Farmington Bank and the state Department of Revenue Services. CBI Acquisitions had owned the 6.9-acre property since 2006.
Along with the historic inn, the property included two others buildings with rooms for rent, the newest constructed about five years ago. A fine dining restaurant, called the Copper Beech Inn, had operated in conjunction with the inn under various owners for nearly 40 years, with a separate French bistro-style restaurant called Pips Brasserie added in 2007.
One of the partners in Ivoryton-Main LLC is Wayne Rand, a former East Hampton resident who runs the Rand Construction Company. Rand currently lives in the former Castle Inn on Long Island Sound in Old Saybrook, which he converted to a private residence. Workers, including some who identified Rand as the new owner, have been on the site since the beginning of the month, when a sign was posted announcing, “Closed for renovations- reopening in four weeks.”
In a brief interview at the site Saturday, Rand confirmed that he and other partners in Ivoryton-Main LLC held some of the debt on the property. He said the inn and at least one restaurant are expected to reopen in early May. Another sign announcing a pending application to the Connecticut Liquor Control Commission lists Michael Fitzgerald as the prospective permittee for the restaurant’s bar.
Rand referred any further comment on the planned reopening to Claudio Marasco of Westbrook, who is the vice presdient, chief financial officer, and general counsel for Waters Edge Resort and Spa on the waterfront in Westbrook.
But when contacted Monday, Marasco declined to elaborate on his connection to Rand and Ivoryton-Main LLC. He said Water’s Edge Resort and Spa is not involved with the planned use of the Ivoryton property, which is assessed at $1,540,900 on the current grand list of taxable property.
