Harbor Inn Property sold to local investors

The sale of an iconic Portage Lakes property known as the Harbor Inn closed Wednesday, said the man who helped broker the deal. Bob Wilson, owner and principal broker of the Crest Group in Coventry Township, said the property was sold to Picks Harbor LLC, a local group with a long-term investment outlook for the location. He declined to identify the primary investor or others involved in the group. “The buyer has quite an affection for (Portage) Lakes history,” Wilson said. “This is home to him. I think he wants to restore it somewhat to its prior glory.” Wilson declined to disclose the price of the property, which he said was a complicated transaction. The property has a long history in the township. It was originally built in the 1870s as Mellinger’s Inn. For the past 35 to 40 years, the operation has been known as The Olde Harbor Inn or some variant. It operated from 2013 to 2017 as an On Tap Bar and Grille and became the name Harbor Front Grille and Party Center in 2018. Wilson said the buyer first expressed interest a couple of years ago, but last year as a deal was about to be made, the property flooded, causing about a $500,000 in damage. In the late 1970s and early ’80s, owner Glen Barensfeld developed the property and helped popularize the Portage Lakes, Wilson said. “A lot of people credit him with transforming the Lakes,” Wilson said. “It was the place to be at the time in the roaring early ’80s.” The 10,000-square-foot building and property include other features, including a 2,000-square-foot deck over the water. “You couldn’t replicate it today,” Wilson said. Wilson said the primary investor hasn’t defined his plans for the building and property. “He has told me throughout it will not be a nightclub going forward,” Wilson said. “He’s a long-term picture guy.”

The sale of an iconic Portage Lakes property known as the Harbor Inn closed Wednesday, said the man who helped broker the deal. Bob Wilson, owner and principal broker of the Crest Group in Coventry Township, said the property was sold to Picks Harbor LLC, a local group with a long-term investment outlook for the location. He declined to identify the primary investor or others involved in the group. “The buyer has quite an affection for (Portage) Lakes history,” Wilson said. “This is home to him. I think he wants to restore it somewhat to its prior glory.” Wilson declined to disclose the price of the property, which he said was a complicated transaction. The property has a long history in the township. It was originally built in the 1870s as Mellinger’s Inn. For the past 35 to 40 years, the operation has been known as The Olde Harbor Inn or some variant. It operated from 2013 to 2017 as an On Tap Bar and Grille and became the name Harbor Front Grille and Party Center in 2018. Wilson said the buyer first expressed interest a couple of years ago, but last year as a deal was about to be made, the property flooded, causing about a $500,000 in damage. In the late 1970s and early ’80s, owner Glen Barensfeld developed the property and helped popularize the Portage Lakes, Wilson said. “A lot of people credit him with transforming the Lakes,” Wilson said. “It was the place to be at the time in the roaring early ’80s.” The 10,000-square-foot building and property include other features, including a 2,000-square-foot deck over the water. “You couldn’t replicate it today,” Wilson said. Wilson said the primary investor hasn’t defined his plans for the building and property. “He has told me throughout it will not be a nightclub going forward,” Wilson said. “He’s a long-term picture guy.”