After three and a half years of intense work, the colonial-era building looks like new, as one can see from this bucolic scene last winter.

by J.M. Jones

Brian Quinn isn’t the kind of guy to see himself as a hero, but preservationists and longtime residents of Springfield Township consider him just that — for rescuing, preserving and restoring the all but abandoned 283-year-old Wheel Pump Inn on Bethlehem Pike in Erdenheim. Providing lodging for generations past, this historic landmark is the oldest inn in Springfield.

“Thank heaven the building itself has been preserved,” said Dulie Gray, a volunteer at the Springfield Township Historical Society. “If someone buys a property, he can do anything he want with it. It’s his legal right to tear down a building. Once a building is gone, it’s gone.”

Built in 1735, reflecting the popular Georgian architecture of its time, the Wheel Pump Inn has had a variety of names and services. Before the Civil War, it was called the Washington Hotel. After the war, the inn earned its current title because of a pump, operated by a large fly wheel in front of the building. The pump drew water from a well, supplying refreshment for the ever-growing influx of travelers and their horses.

Over the centuries the building also was known as the Wheel Pump Tavern, Wheel Pump Hotel and Café, Heydrick’s Hollow (c.1780), Derby’s Wheel Pump, Toland’s and most recently, Ruth’s Lamps and Shades. Fortunately, Ruth’s owners maintained the inherent integrity of the building’s design and character.

When Ruth’s closed in 2011, the building went up for sale, but with no viable offers, it went to auction in 2013. Enter Brian Quinn. In August of 2000, Quinn had purchased and renovated the property adjacent to the Wheel Pump Inn, which included a farmhouse and barn built in 1798. The farmhouse is now his home residence, and the barn serves as headquarters for BQ Basement Systems, the business he has owned and operated for 21 years, which provides basement waterproofing, crawl space solutions, foundation repair and concrete leveling.

As Quinn’s company grew in size and staff, he needed to grow his space. The Wheel Pump coming up for auction signaled a promising opportunity. Its old-world character appealed to him, as did the convenience. “They were right next to us, and we were looking to expand,” said Quinn.

In 2013, Quinn bid on the property but was outbid by a real estate management group that let it sit for two years. “They didn’t do anything,” said Quinn. “They just left the place. There was trash piling up. It was getting all beat up. So I just kept knocking at the door saying: ‘Hey, what are you doing? What are you going to do? What’s up? Still want it?’”

Among other problems with the almost three-century-old building, all the floors had mold, mildew and were buckled. There was no electricity and no water.

Quinn wore them down … and got lucky. “They said, ‘Yeah, we’ll get rid of it. We’ll give it to you for what we paid plus whatever expenses we put into it,’” said Quinn, who became the legal owner of The Wheel Pump Inn in 2015 and embarked on his rescue mission in September of that year.

It would not be Quinn’s first venture into the world of historic preservation, as he also owns Premier Building Restoration in Erdenheim, but it would be his most comprehensive. He admits the process of restoring the inn was “daunting.”

“As soon as we bought it, the roof of the porch balcony collapsed,” recalled Quinn. “All the floors had mold, mildew and were buckled. There was no electric, no water. All drywall was removed, walls taken down, stone and brick pointed and outside masonry repaired and replaced.” New HVAC installation required gas pipe replacement throughout the building to the street.

Quinn discovered right under his feet the original working well from which the historic wheel pump drew water. “It took seven or eight guys to lift the stone that was over the well. I always thought it must have been outside, but the pipe from the well in the basement would go to a tub, like a trough, outside.”

With the aid of a veteran stonemason from Premier Building Restoration, the tiny well hole was enlarged. Quinn had the mason build a stone structure around the well, reminiscent of a wishing well. The newly renovated space designates first-floor areas for marketing and reception staff as well as a display area. The second floor still boasts the iconic mahogany bar, the true centerpiece of the building. An ebony baby-grand piano adds a note of atmosphere. This floor will be used, among other things, for mounting an ongoing display of photos, artifacts and Wheel Pump memorabilia.

Signage, “BQ Wheel Pump,” will be in keeping with the colors and design currently used for many of the municipal businesses and properties in the township. After three and a half years of intense work, discovering images, artifacts and stories echoing the past, is Quinn inclined to think there may be ghosts in the inn? “Probably,” he said, “but if there are ghosts, they’re good. They’re my kind of ghosts.”

For more information, call 215-987-6515 or visit www.bqbasementsystems.com.