Communicating permanence, stability, and grace, the Sewanee Inn embodies the university’s vision, acting as a central component in the branding, marketing, and identity of Sewanee. Hospitality and sustainability are key focuses in the design of this boutique hotel, a prime destination for alumni, family, students, and campus visitors, and a unique place to host special events.
Located at the front of the historic liberal arts campus, the Sewanee Inn doubles the size of the previous inn. It includes 43 guest rooms, some with suites; a dining room and bar, a ballroom that will seat 200, a workout room, multiple lounges, and a visitors’ center. The lodging facility overlooks the campus golf course renovated by 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic course designer, Gil Hanse.
The stone-veneer, textured, shingled-roof inn is a blend of the campus’ contextual traditional Gothic architecture and Arts and Crafts. Supporting Sewanee’s mission to become sustainable and make the inn as “green” as possible, most of the building materials come from the natural resources of the 13,000-acre campus Domain and from within a 500-mile radius. Stone is salvaged from old campus buildings, and reclaimed wood from the Domain. A portion of the inn’s floors feature white oak harvested from trees felled during the golf course renovation, adding more meaning to design components. Today, the inn proudly serves as a high-profile gateway representing the quality of the Sewanee institution.
We wanted the Sewanee Inn, in its design and function, to communicate the University’s commitment to sustainability. ESa brought this vision to reality by creating a space that immediately welcomes our guests with a warm and gracious lobby, handsome event spaces, a cozy bar and restaurant, and well designed, spacious guest rooms. The ESa design team exceeded our expectations with attention to every detail to create our vision. —Frank X. Gladu, VP for Administrative Services, University of the South
Photos © Michael Peck; © McGinn Photography
