Inn at Hastings Park Eyeing Late Spring/Early Summer Opening

Today, it’s a scene unfit for any postcard. But for all the construction activity at the corner of Mass Ave and Worthen Road, the end result is expected to be a welcome amenity for Lexington visitors.

By late spring or early summer, the transformation from Dana Home to Inn at Hastings Park should be complete, and the hotel and restaurant open for business, according to Trisha Perez Kennealy, the Lexington resident behind the project.

“Now more than ever I can feel it,” Kennealy said. “I can see myself standing here and welcoming guests.”

Heavy machinery holds position atop ground that would be muddy if it wasn’t frozen and workers constantly bustle about at 2027-2013 Massachusetts Avenue. The two “outer buildings” there now sit atop new foundations and building exteriors has been sealed to allow crews to work without worrying about the elements. In a dining room doubling as a temporary office inside former Dana Home, the wheels are turning as well.

For the interior transformation, Kennealy has enlisted the services of Robin Gannon, a local designer who opened Haven a few months back, for help outfitting the inn and restaurant. In addition to collaborating with Gannon to make choices about interior décor, Kennealy has been busy developing the restaurant menu and working on marketing materials.

“I’m finally getting to do the things that made me want to do this project in the first place,” Kennealy said, giving thanks to her husband and family for their patience and support along the road to this point. “This really has been a labor of love,” she added.

Redeveloping the Dana Home as a hotel and restaurant required approval from Town Meeting to rezone the parcels at 2027 and 2013 Mass Ave to allow for the commercial redevelopment of the former convalescent home and adjacent residential property.

That approval was granted last spring and certified by the Attorney General’s office in September. Meanwhile, in July, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a definitive site development plan (DSDUP), allowing the new use, certain site improvements and a special permit for an additional standing sign.

“We have been at this for over two years,” Kennealy said in an interview last month, “And I think the reason we have been able to stay focused is because the vision was clear and everybody ahs been committed to what we’re trying to do.”

The vision is for an inn/restaurant concept with 22 guest rooms and a 14-table restaurant across three buildings – the Dana Home, the Isaac Mullican House and the “casket factory” between them.

Kennealy said she’s hopeful about opening late this spring or early in the summer. There has already been some interest from prospective guests, and the Inn at Hastings Park could be ready to begin taking reservations as soon as late-March or early-April.

READ MORE ABOUT THE INN AT HASTINGS PARK

• VIDEO: An Inn Out of the Dana Home?
• Question of the Day: Dana Home?
• Business Leaders Back Dana Home Proposal
• Dana Home Proposal Riles Residents
• Dana Home Rezoning Goes Before Planning Board Tonight
• Planning Board: No Direction on Dana Home Before Town Meeting
• Selectmen Support Inn at Hastings Park Proposal
• Inn at Hastings Park Proposal Passes Town Meeting
• One Step Closer to an Inn at Hastings Park
• Site Work Begins as Dana Home Transforms into the Inn at Hastings Park