.png)
The House
The Renovation Of A Historic Gem
Honoring Chuck, Verandas Previous Innkeeper
Originally built in 1853 by Benjamin Beery, the structure of The Verandas mansion suffered extensive fires and water damage in 1992.
Boarded up and decaying, the mansion was purchased by previous owner Chuck Pennington, with his late partner, in May 1995. The vision was to transform the abandoned and deteriorating historic property into a bed and breakfast inn that offered a gracious vision into the beauty of antebellum Wilmington North Carolina.
After extensive demolition, including the removal of more than 80,000 pounds of plaster, 10,000 pounds of radiators, and more than 20 dump trucks of debris, the entire house was stripped down to the studs. A completely new infrastructure was then created for the house. This included new wiring, heating, air conditioning, plumbing, insulation, and walls.
A sprinkler system and emergency lighting systems were added to ensure the ultimate safety of guests.
After more than a year of complete renovation, the mansion was professionally decorated to provide a professional business atmosphere for the sophisticated executive as well as to provide a comfortable weekend retreat for tourists. English and American antiques as well as traditional furniture were selected to achieve this goal.
The Verandas Bed and Breakfast Inn welcomes a continual influx of guest who want to experience true southern hospitality, but it is also a home. A fanatic collector of antiques, art, and period furnishings, previous innkeeper Chuck Pennington decorated all the guest rooms with items as such.
Awards
AAA Diamond Award (2003-2022)
Select Registry Member (2001-2009)
National Registry for Historic Places
(National Historic Trust District in Wilmington)
Health Rating 100% for 23 times in 12 years of inspections
Award for Interior Restoration
(Historic Wilmington Foundation)
Encore Reader’s Choice Award
You Can Find Us Here
Other Menu Links
The Second Renovation:
Damage from Hurricane Florence,
September 2018
There was water. Water everywhere. And wind whistling through the front doors. Hurricane Florence wreaked havoc on our beautiful historic house.
The Cat 1 storm that hit Wilmington on Sept 14, destroyed one of the home’s immense chimneys, creating a roof cave-in and causing extensive damage to the interior of the home.
The front doors were blown in by the storm, which compounded the internal wind and rain destruction. We also lost a centuries old oak tree in the back yard, ripping up the rear brick stairs and wide brick veranda off the dining room, and tearing apart the sunroom.
A week later, a short in the water-logged cove lighting in our gourmet kitchen caused an early-morning fire and extensive damage, which was barely extinguished by our post-Florence malfunctioning sprinkler system.
Our new theme song should be, “I Will Survive.” We did it, inspired by the love we have for this very special home. Please come celebrate resilience with us.
