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State College Charlotte and Joseph Heidt, both Penn
State alumni and now among the town’s guiding spirits, bought the
magnificent red sandstone Reynolds Mansion, built in 1885 by bachelor
business tycoon William F. Reynolds, the town’s first millionaire.
They undertook several months of renovations before opening it as a
B&B in 1994. Guests have the run of the main floor
with its marble vestibule, beautifully furnished parlor with a
hand-carved tiled fireplace, a large billiards room and a cozy snuggery
filled with books and magazines that you can read in front of the
fireplace. Stunning parquet floors, stained-glass windows, twelve-foot
walnut ceilings and polished and intricate woodwork abound. But this is
no fussy Victorian. Charlotte furnished with country Colonial pieces
from their former home and Victorian pieces they have picked up in the
area. Three guest rooms are on the second
floor. The choice Colonel’s Green Room in which we stayed is almost a
suite, with an entrance hall, a large bathroom with shower, and a huge
jacuzzi tub in the corner of the bedroom. It has a kingsize bed and a
new gas fireplace. Grace’s Garden Room, light and airy with Laura
Ashley fabrics, has a queen bed, loveseat, plants in the turret and a
steam shower with a waterfall that pours cool water down one’s back.
Cherubs are painted on the ceiling of the mushroom white Louisa’s
Cherub Room, which has a delicate spread on the queen bed, fireplace,
jacuzzi and separate shower. Three large rooms with queen beds and
gas fireplaces were added on the third floor. The jacuzzi in the Nittany
Blue Room is beneath a chandelier in the turret, while the jacuzzi in
the light and airy Woodlands looks out into the top of a huge sycamore
tree. The newest Grand Tour, tucked in the eaves with a single window,
has a sleigh bed and a deep jacuzzi in the room. It is decorated with
prints and books from Europe. The spacious grounds include a rear
carriage house that the Heidts were thinking of converting into an
English country cottage. Charlotte, one of the most calm and
unflappable hostesses we have met, serves a pre-breakfast of
mini-muffins and coffee on the upstairs landing. Joe makes the real
breakfast for guests before he disappears into his office for his work
day as a computer programmer. At the lace-covered table in the
chandeliered dining room with walls of striped mahogany, a plate of
eight kinds of fruit and a choice of four juices are standard. We
feasted on french toast stuffed with apples and cream cheese, almost
like a soufflé, with a side of sausage. Other main dishes could be
zucchini frittata, quiche lorraine or a strata with asparagus and
mushrooms. There is always dessert: heart-shaped sand tarts or perhaps
cinnamon twists. Decanters of bourbon and blackberry
brandy await guests in the evening. The Heidts do things up in style. For
Christmas, they decorate their vestibule with an eighteen-foot-high tree
so big it takes seven men to carry it in. For more information: www.reynoldsmansion.com
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