“I remember when artists moved to New Hope because it had inexpensive housing,” said retiree Dick Evans, 81. “But the people moving in now are tearing down lovely old Victorian homes.”

Nicholas Esser, a Realtor with Addison Wolfe Real Estate, said: “I do not think New Hope is going to lose its vibe and charm. Some things may be lost, but a lot more will be added.”LGBTQ landmarks disappear

A hot real estate market led to the 2019 closure of the Raven, a hotel and restaurant complex on the outskirts of town that had been popular for decades with LGBTQ patrons. Three other New Hope LGBTQ bars had previously closed, although one called the Cub Room reopened in 2023.

The Raven was torn down to create a valet parking lot for the River House at Odette’s, on the south end of New Hope. The new resort is named for Chez Odette, the French restaurant and cabaret the Paris-born actress Odette Myrtil ran on the site during New Hope’s postwar years.

“Developers are completely altering the town,” said former Raven bartender Michael Gardner, a drag artist known as Miss Pumpkin. “So much has been torn down and replaced by what looks like a strip mall trying to look historical.

“They’re trying to make New Hope into an enclave for the very rich. But New Hope has always been a place where you see a drag queen next to a biker next to a millionaire.”More rooms at the inns

Aside from the makeover and reopening of the Bucks County Playhouse, a community anchor since 1939, the transformation/expansion of the Logan and the Mansion Inns is perhaps the most dramatic downtown development in recent years.

With roots in the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively, the Logan — which reopened in 2021 — and the Mansion, where an addition is under construction, are among a trio of New Hope projects envisioned by a company called Landmark Hospitality. The family-owned firm invested $38 million into the two properties, adding a total of 32 guest rooms as well as space for two restaurants.

“The theater and the hotels are what keep the vibe and the energy going and keep downtown filled,” Esser said.

Developer Frank Cretella, who grew up on Staten Island and founded his company with his wife, Jeanne, specializes in renovating vintage buildings and incorporating them into deluxe hotels, fine dining locations, and wedding venues. Landmark has properties in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, including Elkins Park, Montgomery County.

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