MoveOn.Org Petition Created to Save King George Inn

Opponents of a plan to raze the historic King George Inn hope to collect 2,000 signatures on a MoveOn.org petition and send it to President Obama, Congress and the state legislature.

The petition, "Save the King George Inn," had garnered about 1,300 signatures by Tuesday morning. 

The building, at Cedar Crest and Hamilton boulevards, dates back to 1756 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was purportedly a popular inn during the American Revolution and hosted minutemen and John and Samuel Adams. 

"We're going to trade that amount of history for another hotel, bank that will change hands 20 times, and drug store?," commented David Oblas on South Whitehall Patch. "That's pathetic... have some respect for local history, state history, and US history."

"So sad, but time (and developing) marches on!," said Gwynn Uhle Krempasky on South Whitehall Patch's Facebook page.

Owner Clifford McDermott has an agreement to sell the building to developer Atul Patel, who wants to build a bank, motel and drugstore or restaurant on the King George Inn site and adjacent property. McDermott ran a restaurant in the building for 42 years until he closed it last year because his business was failing.

McDermott and Patel have asked the South Whitehall Township Zoning Hearing Board for variances on zoning ordinances regulating building height and setbacks, on which the sale is contingent. The board meets again Aug. 28.