The Lilac Inn is a destination wedding and events facility and lodging business located in the town of Brandon, Vermont. The 11,000 sq. ft. two story hipped roof Georgian Revival house was completed in 1909 and aptly named “The Arches” in reference to its most notable feature, the marble arcade of the first-floor terrace leading to the property’s historic main entrance.
The Inn’s number of guest accommodations is perfectly suited to its use as a wedding and events venue and would work well with future development of the operations to include an expanded food and beverage program, as desired by incoming owners. The number of common rooms requires emphasis and makes an immediate and positive impact on arrival. These include the guest favorite front terrace (behind “The Arches”), a grand reception hall that leads to the respective dining and parlor wings which were arranged to form a court (originally around a great elm tree) and opens to two acres of terraced gardens. The elm tree is unfortunately gone, but its demise made way for a dedicated wedding pavilion which provides close proximity to the dining and parlor wings and offers assurances that events move forward uninterrupted by unpredicted weather patterns.
While the fully commercial kitchen is used primarily in support of the wedding and events business, the two adjacent dining areas, including a copper-topped bar, double-height ceilings and an abundance of natural light, offer limitless opportunities to expand the food and beverage program.
The Inn enjoys an enviable location at the center of Park Street, alongside dozens of beautifully maintained historic homes. It is important to note that Brandon’s downtown core (243 buildings) are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Lilac Inn stands out among all of these buildings due to the scale of the asset, quality of construction, and the privacy afforded by the terraced gardens which lend the feeling of being on an estate far more expansive than the Inn’s two acres.
While Brandon offers a charming village experience and access to the outdoors in a conveniently situated west-central location in Vermont, its proximity to Middlebury and its active college enhances the appeal of the market to travelers. The current use of The Lilac Inn as a destination wedding and events venue, however, works to create a market not strictly dependent on the greater swings in the leisure travel industry. There has been significant investment in improving Brandon’s town center – in easy walking distance of The Lilac Inn – and the downtown has most all of the features and support facilities guests and owner’s desire.
Another enviable feature is the Inn’s private one bedroom, one bath owner’s cottage with an open plan kitchen, living and dining area which sits in a quiet location behind the Inn’s gardens on the back section of the parcel.
Contact Eben Viens for more information or to schedule a visit at 802-380-7312 (call/text).
