When Anthony Scotto hosts the grand opening of his new restaurant One North on Nov. 13, he’ll be doing it where the historic Maine Maid Inn was a fixture since it was erected in 1789. While the Inn’s legacy included it being a stop on the Underground Railroad, in recent years it had fallen into disrepair. Scotto purchased the site in 2013 and was very frank regarding the amount of work that went into renovating the existing structure.
“The building was in dire straits when we purchased it from the bank. Vandals stripped the heating & electrical systems, windows and doors were broken and in most of the case missing. Interior and exterior walls were covered with graffiti, the building and property were full of trash and it was overrun by rodents and wildlife,” he recalled. “While the building was rotting and ready to fall down from neglect and water damage, we were able to maintain part of the structure and reconstructed the chimneys with the original bricks and the facade is covered with shingles similar to what was original to the building. By doing so, we truly believe that we have performed a service to a community that we love.”
A request for comment by the East Norwich Civic Association regarding the landmark status of this Jericho historical site was not returned by press time.
Scotto and his team worked with the town and historical associations, obliging to their requests to preserve the structure as much as possible. He even placed a sign on Old Jericho Turnpike recognizing the history of the Maine Maid Inn. The veteran restaurateur wound up with a luxurious, upscale, yet casual dining establishment featuring Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with an open kitchen concept and private banquet rooms. With five decades of experience under his belt, Scotto is bringing One North in line with his other established eateries and catering halls including Chateau Briand, Blackstone Steakhouse & Sushi and Rare650 Prime Steak & Sushi.
Scotto is also donating all proceeds from the first week of business, with a minimum donation of $75,000. Among the organizations benefiting from this donation are Heroes To Heroes, Cohen Children’s Medical Center and Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Heroes to Heroes Foundation, a nondenominational nonprofit organization, provides a spiritual healing, suicide prevention and peer support program for veterans who suffer from moral injury and PTSD. Heroes to Heroes will be honoring Michael T. Brown, a former military infantryman who served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and is currently enrolled in the Villanova University Masters of Public Administration Program and the executive director of SingleIssuePundit.com.
