Inn at Mountain View

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The Inn at Mountain View, now renamed to Mountain View Inn, is a historic hotel located just outside of Greensburg, PA. A hotel that has been around for nearly 100 years that has been heavily expanded and reworked to accommodate multiple generations of visitors currently boasts a high number of guest rooms along with a breathtaking view of the surrounding Westmoreland County and the Laurel Mountains peeking over the horizon. The Inn at Mountain View has been a successful landmark and staple within Westmoreland County and has given many Lincoln Highway travelers and comfortable place to stay overnight and even accommodates for long-term visitors. The landscape of the inn has changed drastically over the years, with every new owner altering the hotel to the way they see fit, whether it be adding a pool, expanding the living quarters with more room for guests, or demolishing a part of the hotel entirely. The Mountain View Inn has also seen its fair share of famous and memorable faces.

Images

The Original Mountain View Inn

The Original Mountain View Inn, colorized

The Original Mountain View Inn, colorized with pasture

The addition of a new, in-ground pool following the renovations of new owners.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Originally built on a one-hundred-and-five-acre farm and boasting 20 guest rooms, the Inn at Mountain View not only served as a gas station, but as a highly accredited accommodation for guests visiting from all over the surrounding area planning a short term, and as of today, long term stays for families planning to partake in what the surrounding area has to offer. Originally built in 1924, the first owners of the Mountain View Inn were struggling to stay open and maintain business during the great depression. Eventually, the establishment and its owners went bankrupt and were then taken over by the First National Bank in Greensburg.

Later in 1940, two brothers, Vance Booher Sr. where it was then passed down to Vance and Ned Booher, bought the hotel from the bank, costing them $40,000, a large chunk of cash in the ’40s. That being said, this investment boasted very little compared to the upcoming two-million-dollar renovation, to which the brothers would extend the lodge by adding thirty-seven rooms to the premises. Due to the Inn’s second bank foreclosure, there was another change in ownership over Mountain View. The current owners as of today are a group of investors named Jada View, LLC, who were more than happy to buy it off the bank, ultimately changing the name of the hotel to the Inn at Mountain View.

Westmorleand County holds a large selection of things to do for the whole family, such as Idlewild & Soak Zone, Twin Lakes Park, and Fort Ligonier. A few smaller attractions around include golf resorts, white water rafting, and wineries for the adults in the family. Thanks to Westmoreland County’s vast and open area, fishing, hiking, biking, and boating are all possible with ease.

In the 1920s, a hotel boasting 20 rooms alone was enough to make it stand out among the rest. Add in the scenery, the gas station, a pool, and the possible activities a family could partake in, the Inn at Mountain View was a sure sign of a good choice. Frankly, the original pool that was built in 1924 along with the inn was removed in 1977, where a new in-ground, but smaller pool was added. This left room for new additions and renovations. In 1998, the Booher brothers added the Loyalhanna wing and a terrace on the main dining room. The inn also boasted entertainment shows such as antiques and even had their own gallery and exhibits of antique items and, at the time, the largest collection of single-malt scotch in Pennsylvania as well as a 3,000-bottle winery.

The Inn at Mountain View was surely a staple in the community, so much so that it gathered the attention of a few famous faces including Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan; entertainers such as Harrison Ford, Guy Lombardo, and Bernadette Peters; as well as Arnold Palmer, The Rolling Stones, Tony Bennet, Three Dog Night, and Dalai Lama.

In November 2009, the original inn was demolished. This removed the historic lobby, dining room, and the swimming pool from the premises. This also meant that all of the antiques were auctioned off as well. Today, the final hotel wing to be previously added to the inn still stands, and the current owners invested in a new lobby for the hotel.

Today, the hotel continues to thrive with an increasing number of visitors able to use the various accommodations such as a new dining room, suite-style rooms that contain fireplaces and a master bathroom, king-size-bed and queen-size-bed rooms, with a few that accommodate pets. In order for a hotel to stay above water today, it must also accommodate the current necessities that all successful hotels boast such as Wi-Fi, refrigerators, microwaves, furniture, and televisions. The surrounding area of Westmoreland County is thriving as well with an increasing amount of people passing by on Route 30. The Inn at Mountain View still thrives among the historical places of the area and is a sure way to make a weekend in Westmoreland County one to remember.

Sources

“Inn at Mountain View vs. Mountain View Inn - Greensburg Forum.” TripAdvisor, www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g52763-i5621-k3909735-Inn_at_Mountain_View_vs_Mountain_View_Inn-Greensburg_Pennsylvania.html

Lincoln Highway News, lincolnhighwaynews.com/tag/hotel-history

“Westmoreland County, PA - Official Website | Official Website.” History of the County | Westmoreland County, PA - Official Website, www.co.westmoreland.pa.us/

Associated Press. “Landmark Mountain View Inn near Latrobe Closing.” PennLive.com, PennLive.com, 22 Jan. 2009, www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/01/landmark_mountain_view_inn_nea.html

Additional Information