The owners of Landmark Hospitality unveiled extensive, detailed plans for Durham Springs at an open house April 15. It’s a place they hope will become a thriving community asset.
It would also be another jewel in their string of more than a dozen restaurants, wedding venues and boutique hotels in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“We always like to work with the community,” said Frank Cretella, who with his wife, Jeanne, owns the company. After talking with residents who came and went during the three-hour event, Cretella said, “I’m taking some of the suggestions we received and will be implementing them into the new site plan.”
The couple wined and dined prospective neighbors and nearby property owners at the Lehnenberg Road destination. Among the Cretellas’ properties are Hotel du Village, Mansion House, The Landing and Logan Inn, all in New Hope.
A series of easels bearing drawings and maps of the proposed project circled the ballroom and Cretella greeted visitors and walked them through the displays. He was accompanied by his wife, several Landmark executives and other staff members. The company is based in Plainfield, N.J.
Durham Supervisor Chairman Bartley E. Millett, who did not attend the open house, said, “Until Durham Springs has submitted a formal application, there’s really nothing to comment about.” The company must meet township regulations and it faces a lengthy process.
Cretella made it clear a destination is what he has in mind. His plans include a wedding venue, with weddings already booked, and a restaurant he described as “rustic.” He said an existing barn will be re-imagined as a wedding chapel. He wants to build a single honeymoon cabin and 40 micro-cabins and will plant a field of wildflowers.
He said the micro-cabins would be tiny, just a bedroom and bath, and will be spaced together in one area. “People now want to travel as a family. They want a destination where they can stay for a few days and enjoy different things,” he said.
To accommodate that trend he plans a series of classes and workshops, including cooking, cocktails, wine appreciation and crafts, such as pottery, for adults as well as children’s activities. He also said he would like to establish a culinary arts training program for Palisades High School students.
Scott Grogan, Landmark’s chief financial officer, said the Cretella family “have been innovators in the hospitality industry for years. It’s an industry where the entry-level is very low but it’s one where you can go very high. Many of the company’s employees have been with Frank for 20 years or more. They’re well-trained. They could easily go to other places, but they stay with him.”
Ralph Fey, of AIA Architects of Doylestown, who designed the site for the proposed project as well as the recently renovated Logan Inn, answered questions from neighboring property owners and other curious residents.
They had concerns about the micro-cabins’ placement and what environmental impact they might have. How the number of people the project would bring and additional traffic and noise would affect their own privacy were additional worries.
Photos showing the history of the 18th century farmhouse that was turned into the Cascade Lodge by the Knuth family in 1939 were displayed. Dan Fehlig and Ian Humphreys, who had operated a high-end catering business in Manhattan, remodeled Cascade into what Cretella described as a “mid-century modern destination,” including a ballroom, dining room with a bar and wine cellar.
Opened in 2018, Durham Springs fell victim to COVID and was forced to close mid-pandemic. Landmark bought the 17-acre property last year for $2.4 million and has since purchased an adjacent parcel bringing the total acreage to 30.
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