Cornerstone Inn

What People are saying

Valentine Surprise

Karl E on 14/02/2017 03:56

Made reservations to stay at the Cornerstone as a very special evening with my wife for Valentines Day (a little early). Christine helped me make reservations at The C Note Pub in the basement where I surprised my wife with keys to a very quaint, old fashioned room upstairs for a relaxing evening in a room with a double whirlpool bath. Breakfast was provided at Denhart's on the main floor. Didn't have to leave the building at all. A great romantic getaway.

Small Town Comfort with Big Town Access

JMCSTL on 04/01/2017 01:58

My wife & I stayed two nights over the New Year's weekend at Cornerstone Inn in Washington, IL. I had read about the Inn several years ago while looking for accommodations in the Peoria area, but this was our first opportunity to stay & enjoy the property. The building complex is huge with 7 separate & unique bedrooms upstairs, a very good restaurant near street level (site of the breakfasts that come with your room price - a daily voucher per guest should easily cover your tab), and a pub in the basement. All three businesses are owned by the Washington-local property owner couple, Dr. & Mrs. Tom Gross; we met & chatted with Judy during our second breakfast. Their property general manager, Scott, primarily runs the food services; he gave us a grand tour when we arrived before showing us to our guest room. Christine is the property innkeeper, and was very friendly & accommodating during our booking and our stay.

The listed property address is "101 Washington Square" - a small & attractive downtown business district with several specialty shops to explore - but the Inn entrance is on North Main just off the northwest corner of the square. The North Main door markings are a bit misleading; skip the one with a short staircase from the sidewalk with the "Cornerstone Inn" sign above it, and look for a door by the Peddlers Way alley at the rear of the building with an awning marked “Denhart’s.” There's a small parking pad just outside that door (room for two or maybe three guest cars), and angle parking across North Main. Immediately inside the Inn's entry door you'll find a small elevator & an adjacent short stairway to the right that each lead to the reception space for the Inn. That's where we met Scott, who checked us in while Christine (who lives in an apartment at the Inn) was temporarily off-property. From the reception space, you can either walk up a full flight of stairs or take the painfully slow elevator up to the level where the bedrooms are. It's a bit of a maze up there, laid out in two split levels; but once you are shown to your room it will be easy to find your way in & out for the rest of your stay.

We stayed in the Garden of Eden Room, with its windows facing west over North Main which escapes the early morning sunshine. The room is large, well furnished (queen bed & three chairs), comfortable & has lots of natural light available as well as individually controlled artificial lights. The en suite bathroom is nearly as large as the bedroom, with a pedestal sink & toilet stool & double whirlpool tub & a separate shower stall plus plenty of floor space to move around. The bedroom closet has sufficient room for hanging & storage during your stay, and there are two small dressers/stands with drawer space (one supporting the small TV). There's plenty of room in the Garden suite to sit & read or otherwise relax. I was especially comforted by the property owners’ attention to guest safety, with a smoke alarm & CO2 detector in the bedroom area and an emergency exit stairway very near the suite exit door. There is a large microwave & a soft beverage stocked mini-fridge in the adjacent Inn laundry room (less than 10 paces up the hall from the Garden bedroom suite and not far from the other guest rooms), which was handy for storing & for preparing our dinner leftovers on our second night. Christine showed me several of the other bedrooms while I was snapping interior photos in the morning, and they were all equally well appointed & roomy & attractively decorated.
 
We had a very tasty dinner at the property restaurant, Denhart Baking Co, on the evening of our arrival; the lunch/dinner menu is simple - pub-type dishes & appetizers, sharing the menu with the pub below - but the portions are huge (we had enough left to fill us up for reheated dinner in our room upstairs the next evening). We did not try the downstairs pub, but another couple staying at the Inn described it as equally good. The breakfast menu in the restaurant has large portions of very tasty dishes as well, and some delicious looking baked goods if you haven't stuffed yourself already.

Washington, IL, turned out to be the perfect weekend base location for us to relax & do a little shopping, while still having easy access to our primary weekend tourism activities in Downtown Peoria (just a 20 minute drive each way). The Cornerstone Inn offered a unique guest facility that made our stay comfortable & enjoyable. We plan to skip the hotel options we've tried before in Peoria, and return to the Inn during our next visit to the area.

Great atmosphere and staff.

Cheryl D on 13/10/2016 12:59

We stayed at the Cornerstone Inn while in town visiting family. It was perfect. Really comfortable room, super friendly and helpful staff, hearty breakfasts and always a welcome face at the pub at the end of the day. When we left our passports behind, the innkeeper, Christine, personally delivered them to my mother's home. You cannot ask for a nicer place to call a home away from home. We will definitely stay there again.

Little Known B&B

Morton W on 12/10/2016 04:24

The Cornerstone Inn is in a historic landmark building. The seven guest rooms are upstairs with a restaurant on the ground floor and a pub in the basement. There is an elevator but to reach the guest rooms from the second floor lobby one must walk up seven stairs, so a person with serious mobility problems would have difficulty. The elevator serves all three floors.

The rooms are modern and tastefully decorated. The entire building was recently refurbished and it is quiet and comfortable. The managers are extremely nice and helpful. Breakfast is in the restaurant and each guest is given a $10 daily credit there -- plenty to purchase a full breakfast. The food in the restaurant is very good

The Inn is in the center of Washington with a number of excellent shops nearby. This is a very nice getaway spot.

Great Stay and Very Personal Touches From Owner/Staff

Flying_Texan on 31/08/2016 21:52

I have stayed at the cornerstone several times. I feel like family because of the peace and comfort that I enjoy whenever I stay. I have not tried the bar downstairs yet, maybe the next time, but the breakfasts at the bakery are very good.