Holderness Inn

Holderness Inn is a historic former hotel in Holderness, New Hampshire, situated on the western edge of the village center along United States Route 3 near Squam Lake. Constructed in 1895–1896, the building represents the resort-hotel era that shaped the Squam Lake area in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is described as the only surviving building of its type in the Squam Lake area from a period when numerous hotels served visitors attracted to the region’s lake, scenery, and seasonal recreation. The inn was built by John Davison after his earlier hotel, a converted parsonage, was destroyed by fire. The local importance of the business was reflected in Holderness’s decision to exempt the rebuilt property from taxation for ten years and to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person suspected of setting the fire. The new establishment initially operated under the name Central Inn before being renamed Holderness Inn. The Davison family continued to operate it until 1967. Architecturally, the property is a substantial three-and-a-half-story wood-frame building with a clapboard exterior, a gabled mansard roof, and a three-story northeast wing. A later two-story shed-roof addition extends from the wing. The principal block has a porch wrapping around three sides. Historically, the ground floor contained the reception area, lounge and meeting spaces, kitchen, and dining room, while guest accommodations occupied the upper floors. Many original interior features, including plaster and woodwork, remain despite subsequent adaptations. Holderness Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, recognizing its architectural character and importance to the area’s resort history. It is no longer operated as a hotel. The property is owned by the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and is open seasonally for use as an art gallery and craft showroom. Its current role is therefore cultural and community-oriented rather than hospitality-focused, while the Holderness Inn name continues to identify the historic building and its association with the development of tourism around Squam Lake.

Holderness Inn was built in 1895–1896 in Holderness, New Hampshire, during a period when the Squam Lake area supported a notable concentration of resort hotels. Its builder, John Davison, had previously operated a hotel created from a converted parsonage. That earlier property was destroyed by fire, and Davison rebuilt on the Holderness Inn site. The town supported the reconstruction by granting a ten-year property-tax exemption and offering a reward connected with the suspected arsonist. The replacement hotel initially carried the name Central Inn. It was subsequently renamed Holderness Inn, the name by which the building is now principally known. The Davison family operated the establishment for many decades, making it part of the local hospitality economy and of the broader seasonal tourism infrastructure around Squam Lake. The property’s historical significance derives both from this connection with regional resort development and from its survival as an example of a late-nineteenth-century hotel building. The structure is a three-and-a-half-story wood-frame building with clapboard siding and a gabled mansard roof. A three-story wing projects toward the northeast, with a later two-story shed-roof addition on its northern side. A porch extends around three sides of the main block. Its original interior arrangement followed the conventions of a substantial inn: public areas such as the lounge, meeting rooms, reception, kitchen, and dining room occupied the first floor, while guest rooms were located above. Although the building has been modified, a significant amount of original plaster and woodwork remains. The hotel ceased to operate under the Davison family in 1967, when the property was turned over to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. In 1984, Holderness Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The listing formalized recognition of its architectural integrity and its role in the history of tourism around Squam Lake. Under its current ownership, the building is no longer a lodging business. It is used seasonally as an art gallery and craft showroom, giving the property a public-facing cultural function while preserving the historic name and building. Holderness Inn therefore has a dual identity: it is a defunct hotel brand in commercial terms and a surviving historic property with seasonal visitor use.

• 1984

  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]Holderness Innen.wikipedia.org

  Holderness Inn received National Register recognition for its architectural and historical importance to the Squam Lake resort region.

• 1967

  Property transferred to the science center

  [1]Holderness Innen.wikipedia.org

  After decades of operation by the Davison family, the property was turned over to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.

• 1896

  Hotel completed and opened

  [1]Holderness Innen.wikipedia.org

  The new three-and-a-half-story wood-frame hotel was completed. It initially operated as the Central Inn before adopting the Holderness Inn name.

• 1895

  Construction begins

  [1]Holderness Innen.wikipedia.org

  John Davison began building the replacement hotel in Holderness after his earlier hotel, a converted parsonage, was destroyed by fire.

A locally significant historic resort property whose identity has shifted from nineteenth-century lodging to seasonal cultural and craft presentation.

• Hospitality · 1896

  Hotel lodging

  The inn historically provided guest accommodations in the upper floors of its main building and northeast wing. Its ground-floor plan included reception, lounge and meeting areas, a kitchen, and a dining room, reflecting the role of a substantial seasonal hotel serving visitors to the Squam Lake area.

• Cultural venue

  Art gallery

  After its conversion from hotel use, the historic building became a seasonal art gallery under the ownership of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. The gallery use gives visitors access to the preserved former inn while supporting a cultural function rather than overnight accommodation.

• Retail and cultural venue

  Craft showroom

  Holderness Inn also operates seasonally as a craft showroom. This use adapts the former hospitality property for public display and sales-related presentation of crafts, maintaining a visitor-oriented role within the local community.

1. 1Holderness Innen.wikipedia.org