George Pergantis, Proprietor of Groton Inn, Dies Unexpectedly At Home
George Pergantis, owner of the Groton Inn since 1979, died from heart attack on the night of September 2, two days before he was scheduled to finalize sale of the Groton Inn property to developers Chris Ferris and Richard Cooper of 128 Main Street LLC. For Mr. Pergantis, owning and managing the Groton Inn was a pleasure, a joy, his vocation and his avocation. He was an important figure in Groton and his dynamic presence will be missed.
Contacted by the Groton Herald, Chris Ferris, one of the principals of 128 Main Street LLC, scheduled to purchase the Inn property, said, "Our thoughts and prayers reach out to George's family, his employees and all the people in Groton who loved George. May God rest his soul."
Asked whether the sale of the Inn would go forward, Mr. Ferris answered, "Out of respect for George and his family, we will not close this week, but plan to complete the sale of the Inn property sometime at the end of next week." Asked whether, Mr. Pergantis' death would create legal obstacles to completing the sale, Mr. Ferris said that the property had been placed in Trust and that transfer of the property would proceed without obstacle.
The Groton Inn was closed in 1974 by then owners Robert and Pat Frazer because of septic issues, and lay vacant for the next several years until 1979 when Mr. Pergantis, a contractor from Lowell, purchased the dormant property from the bank in 1977. In a November 23, 1979 Groton Herald article, he vowed that he would do all the remodeling himself and start with opening a 200-seat restaurant in the old garage building at the back of the property in May 1980. Pergantis had run the Inn for more than 30 years when a fire broke out August 2, 2011 and destroyed the historic building.
Despite public outcry and hopes of preserving remnants of the ancient structure, remains had to be torn down and removed for safety sake in late August 2011. Pergantis talked about rebuilding but his own health was poor and eventually he came to an agreement to sell the property to the development group 128 Main Street LLC.
