FACILITIES

Facilities

Hellriegel's is a year round destination with spacious seating, as well as a private dining for small or large groups.

Seating Capacity Main Dining Room: 110
Cocktail/Bar Area: 45spacious seating services
Main Ballroom and Porch: 150
Outside Patio: 100
Handicap accessible

With seating for 200, the main ballroom and porch area offers an excellent venue for American Contemporary sophisticated steaks and seafood.

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HISTORY OF HELLRIEGEL'S INN

Benjamin Blish (1753-1825), a native of Connecticut and veteran of the American Revolution, was encouraged by his brother-in-law, Abraham Skinner, to move to the Western Reserve. Blish settled in Painesville in 1805 and three years later bought a farm. This property was transferred to his eldest son, Benjamming Blish Jr. (1784-1864), who lived there the rest of his life. The farm then passed to his son, George Blish (1834-1906). When the house was built is uncertain. The Lake County tax duplicate first lists a brick dwelling house in 1841. A newspaper article of 1957 claims it was built in 1863, but this cannot be substantiated.

In 1887 George Blish moved to Mentor. Ten years later he sold the family farm to Frank W. Hart, owner of a wholesale millinery business in Cleveland. Mrs. Hart named their summer estate "Cherry Farm," because she thought the old cherry orchard was one one of the prettiest features of the place. Over the next few years the house was remolded and updated. Hart had taken up the hobby of cattle raising and transformed his farm into one of the finest dairy farms in the United States. A large barn to the west of the house featured some of the latest ideas in animal husbandry; cement floors, varnished interiors, plenty of windows and water piped to the troughs by means of automatic valves.

Hart died in 1910. His herd was immediately sold. Two years later, the house and farm were sold to Samuel Runner, Vice-President of the Bailey Company, one of Cleveland's major department stores. By 1918 the property had been transferred to the Cleveland Jewish Orphan Asylum, which used it for summer outings until 1925. The next year the Lake County Country Club was organized here, but it proved unsuccessful and was disbanned.

In 1918, Joseph H. Hellriegel and his wife opened the Roadside Inn on the park in Madison. After a fire destroyed the Inn in January 1927, they relocated in Painesville and acquired "Cherry Farm". In 1928, the old residence was converted to a restaurant and night club. In 1945, it was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Ross McNaughton of Cleveland. In 1952, two men, Arthur Covert and William Kochever purchased the eight acres of land and the building. The building was enlarged in 1954 with the construction of a banquet hall to accommodate up to 300 people. The room features an eighteen foot cut stone fireplace.

The most historic event to occur at Hellriegel's was on September 27, 1960 when President John F. Kennedy spoke to a large group during his Presidential Campaign. Hellriegel's is also the site of the annual December 7th observance in memory of Pearl Harbor.

In 1999, long time Painesville residents Silvio Trifiletti and Albert DiIorio purchased Hellriegel's Inn and are continuing its long standing tradition of being "The eating place with the Country Club atmosphere."