Clinton Inn History

Early settlers came to Clinton from New York state and named the village after their state governor, Dewitt Clinton. The site of the Clinton Inn was first permanently settled by Alpheius Kies in 1829. Alphueius built a log house at the currenton location of The Clinton Inn. After several changes in ownership, Alonzo Clark built the present 3-story brick hotel. It officially opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1901. The hotel initially had 35 small rooms and did not have running water or plumbing.

Originally the building featured fireplaces throughout, and a drummers room (traveling salesman’s place to display his wares) in what is now the Clinton Coffeehouse. The hotel has three stories; the second floor is all guest rooms while the third is apartments. The room on the first floor known as “The Red Room” was the original dining room and featured upscale dining for business travellers.

Over the course of it’s existence, The Clinton Inn has undergone various changes and renovations to suit the needs of the owner at the time. Running water and plumbing were added during the early 1900’s. Many of the existing hotel rooms were converted into bathrooms, which cut the number of rooms down significantly. At some point, a steam boiler heating system was installed (still in use to this day).

During the 1960’s-1970’s, the entire building was converted into apartments. Then during the 1980’s, the 2nd floor was converted back to hotel rooms while the 3rd story apartments remained.  Also, during the mid 1980’s, the adjacent two-story building (formerly a retail store) was purchased, joined to the hotel, and the retail space was converted into a dining room. A ballroom was added above the dining room and connected to the 2nd floor via a hallway just past the main staircase. In 2023 the larger dining room was converted into a ball room and used to host weddings and other events. The original smaller dining room has been converted into a banquet room and is used to host smaller parties and events.

About the Huffaker Family purchase of The Clinton Inn

The hotel was purchased by the Huffaker Family on May 31, 2019. Our goal is to revitalize The Clinton Inn and make it a pillar of the Clinton Community. At the time of purchase, we expect to undergo extensive renovations and take on many repairs, upgrades, and full remodels of the rooms. Our long-term goal is for the Clinton Inn to be a popular destination in Southeast Michigan with a thriving event center and hotel business. It will feature an upscale ball room and the entire ground floor will be used as an event center. It will also contain 12 premium hotel suites throughout the second and third floor. With the charm of such a historical building, we expect to become a popular venue for private events, catering, bridal showers, and other grand occasions.