On the National Register of Historic Places, this huge Italianate villa with Queen Anne touches was built for the Au-denreid family of Philadelphia around 1888 and became aguesthouse in 1909. It still had the feel ofa guest house in 1982, when Michael and Susan Ingino, who had had an ice-cream business in nearby Toms River, bought the inn and began to transform it into a textbook of museum-quality high-Victorian furnishings. Deliberately undercuttingthe formal atmosphere, the Inginos urge guests to relax. “To see a guest curl up on a sofa with a bookisjust what I want,” Mike explains.
With the exception ofrattan furniture in the casual enclosed side porch and a few necessities, such as a sleep sofa, there are no reproductions or modern pieces. Everything is genuine American Victonan. On the fIrst floor are gasoliers, a wood-burning fireplace, and a Renaissance Revival parlor set with women’s faces carved on the arms. Renaissance Revival predominates in the guest rooms, in addition to Rococo Revival and Eastlake.
Rooms are individually decorated down to the wallpaper and carpeting. Two are particularly spectacular, but for very different reasons. The drama in Room 102 is provided by 11-foot ceilings, rich green walls, and a very impressive four-piece burled-wood bedroom set. The less-for-mal, rose-color Tower Room has win-dows on four sides. Though its bathroom is down the stairs and down the hall (robes are provided), it’s only a minor inconvenience when you consider the bright sunlight, cool breezes, and views over the rooftops to the ocean.
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