Chester House Inn

The Chester House Inn, also known as the Chester Inn and the Brick Tavern, is a historic building at the corner of Main Street and Hillside Road in Chester Borough, Morris County, New Jersey. It was built from 1810 to 1812 by Zephaniah Drake. Known as the Chester House Hotel, it was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1937. The inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in architecture, commerce, and education on July 18, 1974.

History and description
The building is a three and one-half story brick building featuring Federal architecture and Flemish bond brickwork. It was built from 1810 to 1812 by Zephaniah Drake to accommodate stagecoach travelers. He sold it to Isaiah Fairclo in 1821, who soon resold it to another Drake. In 1854, William Rankin, a teacher, purchased the Chester Inn and transformed it into a classical college preparatory school, the Chester Institute. In 1862, he sold the building to the Budds.