10 Most Update: Eagle Tavern

In 1995 & 2023, Preservation New Jersey included the Old Eagle Tavern in its "10 Most Endangered Historic Sites" list, highlighting its need for preservation. The 10 Most Endangered Historic Places program spotlights irreplaceable historic, architectural, cultural, and archeological resources in New Jersey that are in imminent danger of being lost. The act of listing these resources acknowledges their importance to the heritage of New Jersey and draws attention to the predicaments that endanger their survival and the survival of historic resources statewide. The list, generated from nominations by the public, aims to attract new perspectives and ideas to sites in desperate need of creative solutions.

Despite various proposals over the years, the building has remained unused for an extended period, until now! The City of Trenton and the Mercer County Improvement Authority are working together to rehabilitate this significant structure. Preliminary funding has been identified and design work for the rehabilitation of this 1765 tavern has commenced. Additional funding is still needed, but MCIA and the City are working towards starting construction by the end of 2025. The building is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and its renovation will make the building a wonderful addition to Trenton’s and the region’s historic sites and attractions, particularly relevant to the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. 

The Old Eagle Tavern, located on South Broad Street at the corner of Ferry Street, is likely the oldest commercial structure remaining in the City of Trenton. Built in 1765, the property played a significant role in Trenton’s civic and economic life throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The Tavern originally served as a home for Robert Waln, a U.S. Representative and early business-owner and industrialist in Trenton, until its conversion into a tavern in 1817. Since then, the property has gone through multiple renovations, serving as a restaurant, hotel, office space, and apartment space throughout its historic legacy.

The property went largely underutilized throughout the 20th century. In 1965, the property was purchased by the City of Trenton and leased to the Trenton Historical Society. Numerous archaeological studies were conducted at the site during this period. In the 1980s, the property was renovated once again as a restaurant with a commercial kitchen and bar added to its lower and first floors, respectively. The Site was operated as a Tavern until the early 1990s. The property has remained vacant since then.