Historic Ellicott City inn remains shuttered after weekend fire

The fire that erupted in The Wayside Inn in Ellicott City after a lightning strike Saturday caused fire and water damage to the historic inn’s lobby and guest rooms.

The 246-year-old stone structure tucked away on Columbia Road is expected to remain closed for at least a month for repairs, according to Joe Xu, the innkeeper.

Built in 1780, the inn, which is near the intersection of U.S. Route 29 and state Route 100, originally stood on what was the main road from the south to Ellicott City and Baltimore. Local lore suggests that George Washington and John Quincy Adams stayed there.

It’s been a bed and breakfast since 1999 and now boasts six rooms after a 2003 addition.

A lightning strike during a powerful summer storm around 3:30 p.m. Saturday appears to have damaged a stainless steel gas line in the inn and sparked the fire, the Howard County Fire Department said.

Firefighters had the fire contained by 5 p.m., Xu said.

Fire officials deemed the building unsafe to enter until a further safety inspection happens, according to Samantha Stanton, a Fire Department spokesperson.

Xu took over the old inn in 2018, keeping it afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that the county fire marshal turned off all services, including water and power. Xu is now waiting for an insurance adjuster to assess the damage.

The inn suffered interior damage to the lobby, ground-floor guest rooms and the basement, where an air conditioning unit was destroyed, Xu said.

Xu’s general contractor is ready to start making repairs, and all they need is the green light.

“I have never seen this before, this [level of] fire damage. Very unlucky,” Xu said. “I’m hoping that we can reopen in a month.”