College gives old inn new lease

DALLAS TWP. – A 60-year-old former country inn has found a new life as a college dormitory.

Misericordia University students have been staying at the Beaumont Inn located on Route 309 since the semester began after the school signed a one-year agreement to lease the property from owners Jim and Beth Harkins.

Jim Harkins is a trustee on the university’s board and the Harkins own Penn State Seed.

Thirteen students, mostly those who have transferred to Misericordia from other schools, reside there. The school had a record number of new students this fall, 524, when combining freshmen (371) and transfer (153) totals.

School spokesman Paul Krzywicki said other potential housing options were examined before the lease was signed with the Harkins in the summer. He would not disclose the terms of the agreement, other than saying it was a one-year deal.

Students staying at the inn are about five miles from the campus, but they have some perks. There’s ample parking, a kitchen in which they can make their own meals, housekeeping every other week and a discounted rate to stay there.

Students pay about $2,500 for the academic year, which is about $405 less than the most inexpensive residence halls on campus – Alumni and McHale halls. There’s also a security officer stationed at the inn 24 hours.

“In order to limit the number of triples in residence halls and limit the impact on freshman students, the university secured the Beaumont Inn. The inn also offers a different type of housing experience for older, more mature students,” said Kathleen Foley, the school’s dean of students.

Melissa Taylor, 22, of Stroudsburg, is among the students calling the inn home. The junior elementary education/special education major transferred from Bloomsburg and expected to stay in an on-campus residence hall. But the lack of housing led her to the Beaumont Inn.

She said it has its advantages, but she also noted some disadvantages, including the noise from big rigs traveling along Route 309, especially at night, and the fact it’s hard to make friends quickly as a first-year student living off-campus.

But overall, Taylor is enjoying her time at the inn. Having grown up in rural Pike County, she enjoys the surrounding nature and peacefulness she finds sitting outside on the hammock, walking the property, or trekking down to the small creek that runs through it.

“I’ve had some rough days, so I’ve been back there a lot,” Taylor said. “It soothes my soul.”

Some students at the inn have their own room, but most, like Taylor, have roommates. For Taylor, that person is Jill Cardinale, 22, of Linglestown, near Harrisburg.

The occupational therapy graduate student transferred from Mount Saint Mary’s College and also wanted to live on campus. But the lack of space put her in the Beaumont Inn group.

“I was a little worried. But it’s not so bad. I’m glad I’m here,” Cardinale said. She enjoys being housed with people of the same age group – the students are all in their 20s.

But she doesn’t anticipate she’ll spend all three of her years at Misericordia at the inn, even if offered.

Cardinale said an apartment is more her taste, and that’s where she’ll likely look for housing next year.

Taylor said she hasn’t made up her mind about next year’s living conditions, but if offered another chance to stay at the inn, she’d be open to it.

This isn’t the first time Misericordia students were required to live off campus because of a lack of on-campus housing. A few years ago while the Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Student Residence Hall was being constructed, 40 coeds stayed at the Host Inn All Suites in Wilkes-Barre.

Krzywicki said no decision has been made about next year’s potential use of the inn. He said it depends on whether it would be available and whether Misericordia will have a need for it.

The ‘inns’ and outs

Builder and owner Peter Masonis opened The Beaumont Inn in 1949. The two-story brick inn could accommodate overnight guests and had facilities for banquets, weddings and parties. A restaurant on the main floor was the big draw over the years with the rooms on the second floor available for overnight guests. The Harkins purchased the inn and its 58 acres in 1988.