Green Park Inn To Be Auctioned July 30

Story by Corinne Saunders

The historic Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock goes on the auction block at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 30. Rogers Realty in Mt. Airy will handle the sale. File photo

The historic 1882 Green Park Inn that has been host to prominent guests—including Herbert Hoover, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Mitchell, Calvin Coolidge, John D. Rockefeller and Annie Oakley—goes on the auction block Thursday, July 30, at 6:00 p.m.

The inn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is located on the Eastern Continental Divide, 3,620 feet above sea level, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The inn is on Highway 321 on the border of Watauga and Caldwell counties. The Blowing Rock Country Club and Golf Course borders the inn’s property to one side and North Carolina’s oldest travel attraction since 1933, The Blowing Rock, sits across the street.

“A broker had [the Green Park Inn] for sale and thought an auction might be the way to go,” said Bracky Rogers, sales manager, auctioneer and founder of Rogers Realty. “He had so much interest, he thought he’d let those particular interested parties compete for it.”

The inn closed recently in preparation for its sale. It is available for inspection by interested parties on Friday, July 24, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and on Thursday, July 30, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Rogers said.

The Victorian-era inn is situated on about three acres of land and will be sold on site. The inn has 86 guest rooms, a quaint dining room called “Divide Tavern” and accommodations for meetings, conferences, weddings, parties or other social and cultural events. The former owner stated that it is time to pursue other interests.

The vintage furniture and the original ceiling fans in the guest rooms are part of the deal, Rogers said.

“Twelve to 15 [prospective buyers] seem really interested,” Rogers said. “We’ve had five or six inspections [to date] flying in from New York, Louisiana and Colorado.”

Rogers has heard offers between $3 to $5 million for the inn and expects a dozen or more to bid on the property on the day of the live auction.

Rogers is one of about 10 people that will help conduct the auction on July 30. One person will take care of the online aspect of the bidding, he said.

Offsite bidders will be able to log onto www.rogersauctiongroup.com and place their bids online.

Potential bidders are required to register and deposit $50,000 in certified funds with the remainder of a 10 percent good faith deposit by personal or corporate check. The balance is due at closing. A 10 percent buyer’s premium will be added to the contract price and the inn sells “as is.” Announcements on the day of the sale take precedence over all written material.

Broker participation in the auction is invited, and broker registration forms can be obtained online by clicking to www.rogersrealty.com. Brokers must preregister.

Green Park Inn is located at 9239 Valley Boulevard in Blowing Rock. For more information, click to www.rogersrealty.com.