It’s the stuff movies are made of: big-city couple flees the rat race and buys a bucolic country inn far from the madding crowd.
That’s what happened to Milan Lint and Mitchell Berlin, who bought the Carversville Inn on Fleecydale Road in Solebury in December 2018.
But it got complicated.
The 1813 inn is in disrepair and in need of major upgrades, with an estimated renovation tag of $2.7 million.
The couple have worked in New York City and have an apartment there, but their home has been in Bucks County for 20 years, said Lint, sitting in the now-closed inn where leftover Halloween skeletons still belly up to the bar.
Berlin, of Cleveland, and Lint, from Dennison, Ohio, met while students at Ohio State University.
Today Berlin has been at Ernst & Young for 27 years. He is a partner there and deals in strategy and transactions.
Lint is retired from BlackRock Investments after more than 20 years, where he was a managing director of Fixed Income for the Americas.
It was after his retirement that the couple started looking around for a business opportunity close to home and found Solebury’s Carversville Inn.
No strangers to Solebury, they first rented an apartment 20 years ago at Marsh Gibbon on Laurel Road from former longtime residents Dick and Meredith Glover.
Their renovation skills were honed when they moved to Burnt House Hill Road in Buckingham where they stayed for 16 years.
After that they moved to their current home, a 30-acre Solebury tract on Sawmill Road with a 300-year-old stone house, which – of course – they’re renovating while they live in a guest cottage on the property.
Their history in restoration and renovation comes in handy as they prepare to tackle the Carversville project.
“The building right now is hurting. But we have no regrets. You don’t see anything like this in Bucks County.
“We’re very conscious of not becoming another Logan Inn,” Berlin said, referring to Logan’s enlargement in New Hope.
The Carversville Inn’s seating capacity would remain at 65, Lint said. Due to the flood plain, a small addition would be built in the back for mechanical equipment now kept in the basement.
“We want to create a quaint country inn at a rate of return to make it plausible,” Lint said.
Most of the community response to the project has been positive, he said, but he admitted to some opposition.
“What they (opponents) don’t realize” is that in rejecting the current plan “the thing they’re afraid of” will happen. That being a high-volume restaurant with no renovations,” he said.
Realizing the community concerns, the owners sent a Jan. 11 letter to neighbors, stating in part:
“We intend to be good neighbors and want to share our vision with members of the community, provide details regarding the blueprints, and update you as to where we are in the approval process and its impact on our timeline. We reiterate our willingness to discuss the plans with interested individuals...
“The proposed Inn will have 10 guest suites vs. the current eight bedrooms associated with the existing four apartments. In order to realize this vision, we need to conduct extensive repairs to the exterior of the building, staying well within HARB guidelines and respecting our neighbors.
“The interior of the building requires renovation to ensure code and environmental compliance as well as ADA accessibility. Simply put, the existing footprint does not accommodate larger restrooms, wider doorways/hallways, a safe stairwell and an elevator to each floor. Consequently, we must construct a modest addition at the rear corner of the building that is least visible from adjacent roadways. The addition also serves the purpose of providing space on the second and third floors for guest suites, necessary to make the investment in renovations commercially viable. Importantly, the construction will ensure the inn’s structural and aesthetic integrity for the next many decades....
“...Some who expressed concern about ‘change’ in the village, became more comfortable once we clarified legitimate misunderstandings regarding the blueprints and/or our intent. We will continue to set the record straight on purposefully distributed misinformation that has the sole intent to create unnecessary anxiety regarding changes to the Inn. We are proud of our plans for the Inn and would be happy to discuss them with you. Should you have questions, concerns or are simply curious about details of the project, do not hesitate to contact us at milandlint@gmail.com.”
Before any of the renovations can begin, several variance and exception approvals are needed from the township and the county.
If and when they materialize, Lint expects renovations will take nine to 12 months.
In the meantime, since the wheels of bureaucracy and approvals turn slowly, Lint has several more relaxing projects to concentrate on.
For one, there is his 1930 Model A Ford inherited from his father and some other antique cars he has acquired.
But his main fascination seems to be with dogs — as in Newfoundland and Portuguese water dogs that he breeds and shows, something he has done since the age of 16.
Lint was a judge of Newfoundlands and Portuguese water dogs at the 2018 annual Westminster Dog Show.
And Matisse, his Portuguese water dog, is the top winning male show dog of all time at Westminster.
The esteemed canine brought home further renown when his cousin, Sunny, was acquired by President Barack Obama as a second family dog.
In fact, in 2015 Lint received a signed Christmas card from him –not from Obama, but from Sunny.
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