Former Two Dips ice cream building demolished
The former Two Dips Ice Cream shop at 209 E. Savannah Road is now an empty lot.
Crews started to knock down the main building and side garage Jan. 12. By Saturday afternoon, the main structure was reduced to rubble and the garage was gutted.
The demolition clears the way for construction of the Beach House Hotel on the site.
“We were big fans of Two Dips ice cream,” said Jim Owen, owner of the new hotel. “Knowing that the Wagner family supported our decision to tear it down made this step a bit easier.”
Owen and his wife Jana bought the property from the Wagners, who had owned it since 1962.
Long before Two Dips, the building was known as the Lewes Beach Garage.
Lewes Mayor and City Council approved the hotel project in December.
The Owenses will be building a 15-room boutique hotel with a pool, rooftop patio and coffee house.
They said the hotel will be designed for longer stays with amenities like in-room washers and dryers.
“We hope to open for business sometime at the end of 2024. Everything has gone smoothly and we have a great team,” Jim said.
Jim and Jana Owen currently own and operate the Savannah Inn at 330 Savannah Road.
Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.
