Formerly The Warren Inn and before that the Royalton, The Rivertown Lodge in the 800 block of Hudson’s Warren Street held an open house Friday night to show off its understatedly clever renovations.
Realtor Steve Kingsley, who was involved with the building’s sale, recalled renting a room at the Warren Inn in the 1980s with six friends in order to watch a Mike Tyson fight they could not otherwise see on TV.
This writer stayed there one night in the 1990s, sleeping in his clothes on top of the coverlet, and praying there wasn’t a fire—given the very complicated route necessary to reach the upper rooms.
A couple who grew up in Hudson lamented the decline from better days as The Royalton (which had, they said, a nice banquet room) into “more of an hourly place” They seemed gladdened by the new owners’ work.
With the closing of The Iron Horse, the bar—with its oldschool jukebox, pool table, semicircular booths, and shuffleboard—in its final year was frequented by both an older crowd and younger hipsters, despite some well-loved cats making themselves more than at home.
But the clean, stylish renovation is both appealing and overdue, given both the previous condition of the place and the lack of enough beds for visitors at many times of year. With prices expected to be comparable to The St. Charles but with far more amenities, The Lodge ought to do well.
