Corner Cupboard building to be demolished

After closing its doors four years ago, the Corner Cupboard Inn will likely soon be no more.

The property at 50 Park Ave. will be subject of a public hearing by the Rehoboth Beach Planning Commission Friday, April 11. Owner Michael Vardell of Vardell Realty Investments is seeking to partition the property into two 5,000-square-foot lots. A demolition permit for the building has been filed with Rehoboth’s building and licensing office, and the structure can be taken down as early as Monday, April 14.

The Corner Cupboard dates back to 1935, when Alice and Jesse Gundry rented their two side-by-side houses with 18 guest rooms. In 1974, Elizabeth “Els” Gundry Hooper took control of the operation; in 2000 she sold it to Leslie Inkster, a second-cousin-once-removed, who operated the inn until its closing. The Inn was known for its restaurant, with its jazz music, and its screened porch, which served as a dining room.

The Gundrys also operated the Winter Inn at 73 Park Ave., also purchased by Vardell Realty Investments and demolished in 2010. Vardell's attorney at the time, Chase Brockstedt, said Vardell had attempted to save the building to no avail. The property was partitioned into two lots, one of 5,194 square feet and the other 5,027 square feet.