The Hunt Valley Inn (most recently a Delta Hotels by Marriott property) is permanently closing on Monday. Yesterday the Shore Leave and Farpoint conventions held a farewell event to say goodbye to the hotel which had been host to both events for most of the past 40-plus years.

It was a nostalgia-filled day, mostly spent reminiscing about past conventions and memories associated with the hotel. Memories such as the time we all got snowed in during the 2003 Farpoint, the Hunt Valley Stargate, and more. One of my own memories is from 2006 when Shore Leave 28 guest Kent McCord and his wife took me on a tour of the new Hunt Valley Wegmans (it turned out they’d been going there for breakfast all weekend).

One topic that came up several times was the time Marriott imposed their “standard” corporate look on the hotel, without regard for whether it would actually fit in. The Hunt Valley Inn was built in 1969 by the McCormick company and the building’s design reflected the area’s history. But as quickly became apparent, a design that might be OK in a recently designed building with neutral wallpaper and ballroom-sized foyers, might not be well-suited to dark brick and less sprawling areas.

I don’t recall the exact reason for being there (it likely involved the Farpoint committee meeting with the hotel staff), but I happened to visit the hotel in December of 2005, when the renovations were just getting started. I took a few photos.