Auction begins for historic New London inn

NEW LONDON, Conn. (WTNH) -- Many hope an online auction will mean a new beginning for a New London inn. The Lighthouse Inn has been closed for several years now and on Tuesday someone had a chance to possibly get it at a bargain price.

It's an historic inn and the hope is someone will be able to bring it back to the beautiful property it once was.

Now boarded up windows line the bottom floor of the once extravagant and grand Lighthouse Inn. First built as the summer home of steel magnet Charles S. Guthrie in 1902, designed by renowned architect William R. Emerson, it later became a popular inn and restaurant featuring 51 guest rooms and three buildings on more than four acres.

However, those days as a thriving New London inn ended and the property went into foreclosure when owners Christopher Plummer and Maureen Clark who appeared separately in court were indicted and later convicted of fraud. Many who owned timeshares lost tens of thousands of dollars and workers went unpaid.

Which brings the property to today's online auction. The opening bid for the fully furnished inn: $500,000.

There have been offers on the property in the past. In fact, one developer offered $1.25 million, but then withdrew that offer after there were a couple of break-ins and the property was damaged.

The potential to be great once again is what many in the city, along with history buffs, hoped would attract a developer during the online auction.

In addition to the price of the property, any new buyer will also have to pay the back taxes owed to the city, which could exceed half a million dollars.