Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Warren / The Pitcher Inn
The Pitcher Inn
Warren, Vermont, United States · Independent · Core Luxury
An owner's collection of more than a thousand pitchers named The Pitcher Inn in Warren, and in 1993 the nineteenth-century building burned and took the village block with it. Architect David Sellers talked Win Smith into rebuilding on the exact footprint, and the white clapboard house reopened in 1997 with a different designer behind almost every door, from Mac Rood's Chester Arthur room to Sellers's Lodge. Nine rooms fill the main house, two barn suites sit out back, and dinner is at 275 Main or in Tracks beside Freeman Brook.
- 11 rooms
- Opened 1997
- Rooms from 480 sq ft (45 m²)
- Architect: David Sellers
About The Pitcher Inn
- The original inn was named for an owner's collection of more than a thousand pitchers. It burned in 1993, and locals feared the lot would become a convenience store.
- David Sellers designed the 1997 rebuilding on the old footprint, with Mac Rood, Rob Bast, and a bench of Vermont makers each taking rooms.
- Mac Rood designed the Chester Arthur room. Sellers's Lodge room has a ceiling painted as the sky on Christmas Eve by Art and Ann Schaller.
- AIA Vermont, marking its 75th year, named the inn one of 11 buildings in the state for design excellence.
- Gale and George Dorsey bought the inn in 2020. Nine themed rooms fill the main house, and two dog-friendly suites sit in the barn.
History
The Pitcher Inn traces its roots to the Civil War era, when a modest lodging house on Warren's Main Street offered travelers rest as they navigated the Mad River Valley's three mountain passes. After decades as a beloved but ramshackle village fixture, the original building burned to the ground in 1993, destroying the entire village block.
Winthrop and Maggie Smith of Greenwich, Connecticut, who acquired the property in 1994, commissioned local Warren architect David Sellers to rebuild the inn on the exact footprint of its predecessor. Sellers gathered a legion of colleagues, decorators, masons, woodcarvers, furniture makers, and mural painters to craft an eclectic interior showcasing Vermont craftsmanship, and each guest room was uniquely designed by a different architect and designer. Reopened in 1997 as a Relais & Châteaux property, the white-clapboard inn offers nine themed rooms and two suites. Gale and George Dorsey purchased the inn in 2020, revamping guest rooms and common areas and adding a changing art collection.
The setting
3 miles from winter sports at Sugarbush Resort. 11 miles from Roxbury State Forest.
Restaurants and bars
- 275 Main — Restaurant · Farm to table
- Tracks — Bar · Tavern
Experiences
- Tracks pub and lounge — Casual pub and lounge reached by a staircase and a cave-like stone passage from the lobby, opening onto a garden area with a fireplace.
- Fine dining restaurant — Prix fixe menu of three or four courses. Reviewers found it closed on some days, so Tracks pub may be the option then.
Amenities
- White-glove wedding partnership and event management team
- Micro-weddings and close-knit celebrations in three distinct tiers
- Full-weekend buyouts
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
Open The Pitcher Inn in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.