10 September—It looks like Tommy Tuberville, the Trumpist troglodyte (with apologies to troglodytes) U.S. Senator from Alabama who a couple of years ago made headlines by blocking all military promotions because of the military’s abortion policies, is at it again. This time the despicable former college football coach is blocking a fourth star for a lieutenant general on equally unacceptable grounds. And, sadly, the prick’s procedural hold probably will end the 36-year career of Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark, who just happens to be black.

And who isn’t excited about tonight’s Harris-Trump sound-bite kabuki? Guess. It may be the only so-called debate, depending how Kamala and Donald perform—or how their respective coaches and trainers think they perform in relation to one another. The one deemed to have won or at least done better will press for another debate while the loser’s seconds will do everything possible to avoid one. So what else is new?

Well, the little Abner Hotel in Litchfield is new. It’ll be opening on Thursday and was previewed yesterday. Monitor readers will recall that we’d have preferred to see the little grey old Litchfield County Courthouse on West Street renovated and repurposed to the Litchfield Town Hall. That would have been appropriate for any number of reasons.

But the well-intentioned Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust, which owned the building and wanted to give it to the town, proposed a $7-million plan that cut too many corners yet was predictably defeated by penny-wise-pound-foolish Litchfield taxpayers—who invariably end up paying for their short-sighted, thoughtless parsimony.

So, for the $15 million or so the town should have been prepared to spend on a proper renovation and conversion, the little courthouse is now a 20-room boutique hotel. It’s sure to bring much appreciated tax revenue to the town but probably won’t bring much business to the local shops.

On the other hand, it must be said—not just admitted—that the renovation-conversion-repurposing job has been done expertly and impressively, with taste and skill, using the dear old court building’s joinery and other fittings wherever possible and appropriate. Had the courthouse been converted to town offices, it’s safe to say, it wouldn’t have been so classy.

The Abner’s 20 guest rooms—up from 15 that had been mentioned during the renovation—are described on the hotel’s website as “beautiful and spacious.” That’s half right. The rooms certainly are beautiful. And they look comfortable. But spacious is stretching it more than a bit. In fact, one room is barely big enough for its queen-size bed; but it is big enough for a one-night stand.

The en suite bathrooms befit a modern boutique hotel. Except they’re missing bidets.

The public facilities—restaurant, tavern, and rooftop bar—are very nicely turned out and doubtless will become popular hangouts for all the right people and venues for all the right occasions.

The elevator is slower than slow. But it’s utterly quiet and you have to watch the flood indicator to even know it’s moving.

The situation of the old courthouse seriously compromises the aesthetics and accessibility of the new hotel’s entrance as well as the views from the guest rooms and public facilities. Really. Here’s a picture of the entrance, taken from West Street:

The view from the rooftop bar is of the town parking lot behind West Street, rooftops of commercial buildings and a few residences, and South Street tree canopies. Should be fun in the winter. Only the three guest rooms that overlook the Borough Green are afforded decent views from the Abner.

Disappointingly, the Abner Hotel isn’t named in honor of Al Capp’s Li’l Abner, but after the Rev. Abner Reeve, Tapping Reeve’s father. Tapping Reeve, for those not acquainted with Litchfield, opened the first free-standing (i.e., independent) law school in the country in 1784; it’s a dinky little one-room building on South Street, next to Tapping’s rather more impressive house, and the town’s most touted tourist attraction.

Best of luck to the Abner Hotel. It deserves a much better location. And it wouldn’t take much to make it into Litchfield Town Hall. That would allow the current Litchfield Intermediate School to be converted for any number of other public and private uses.

Incidentally, Litchfield’s two favorite people, Joey Eisenbach and Michael Peloquin, were seen at the Abner’s preview. What, you may wonder, were those two scoundrels doing at a nice place like that?