Chester House Inn
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Chester House Inn in 2020
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Location	Main Street and Hillside Road, Chester Borough, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°47′10″N 74°41′41.5″W / 40.78611°N 74.694861°W / 40.78611; -74.694861 (Chester House Inn)
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1812 (1812)
Built by	Zephaniah Drake
Architectural style	Federal
NRHP reference No.	74001183[1]
NJRHP No.	2099[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 18, 1974
Designated NJRHP	November 26, 1973

The Chester House Inn, also known as the Chester Inn and the Brick Tavern, is a historic building at the corner of Main Street and Hillside Road in Chester Borough, Morris County, New Jersey. It was built from 1810 to 1812 by Zephaniah Drake. Known as the Chester House Hotel, it was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1937.^[3] The inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in architecture, commerce, and education on July 18, 1974.^[4]

History and description

The building is a three and one-half story brick building featuring Federal architecture and Flemish bond brickwork. It was built from 1810 to 1812 by Zephaniah Drake to accommodate stagecoach travelers. He sold it to Isaiah Fairclo in 1821, who soon resold it to another Drake. In 1854, William Rankin, a teacher, purchased the Chester Inn and transformed it into a classical college preparatory school, the Chester Institute. In 1862, he sold the building to the Budds.^[4]

• 
  HABS photo from 1937
• 
  Historic information sign