Mount Nittany Inn closes

The Mount Nittany Inn, a favorite for many people in the State College area, closed its doors on Dec. 21 ending a run that lasted for many years of operation.

Co-owners Nancy Silvis and Doug Collins have been a part of the business since 1992.

“By closing the Mount Nittany Inn it gives an opportunity for a new business owner to purchase the property and start over with a different vision to increase customer draw,” Silvis said in a news release. “We are saddened to walk away from this historic business that has been such a special place to many.”

The Inn, located on nine acres atop Mount Nittany, has been for sale for more than three years. First, it was listed with a State College-based real estate company. The property then transferred to U.S. Commercial Realty, which is based in Lancaster, listing for $2.8 million.

Asking price for the business dropped to $1.97 million in May 2013. In an email, Scott Bradbury, a commercial real estate agent with U.S. Commercial Realty, said his firm’s listing on the property expired earlier this year.

The business is still for sale, Silvis said.

The business dates back to 1919 when a man named Pete Coldron started a “roadside stand” to provide food for those traveling through the area, according to the Mount Nittany Inn’s website. Since the stand was doing so well, Coldron opened a restaurant in 1928.