Mother's Ale House in Wayne, once a hotel serving canal traffic, hits the market for $2.6M
WAYNE — Mother’s Ale House & Grill, the hard-to-miss drinking establishment in the most historic section of the township, is for sale for $2.6 million as the property emerges from foreclosure.
The 11,695-square-foot former hotel is situated on a fraction of an acre on Mountainview Boulevard, just east of the Route 23 overpass. The three-story building also has a finished basement, which can be used as a banquet hall.
The price includes the property’s liquor license and the contents of the bar and restaurant, according to an online listing by New Vistas Corp. of Woodbridge Township.
The business was shut down two months ago.
Routine posts to its Facebook page abruptly stopped on Aug. 3, when it advertised “College Night” with a DJ and games of beer pong.
It appeared this week that no one had been there for some time. Seven door tags were stuck to the entrance to the building by package delivery drivers, and a note was taped up.
“MOTHER’S WILL BE CLOSED TODAY FOR MANTIENCE [sic],” it said.
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Court filings and tax records tell a different story.
They show the owner, Vishnu Seetharaman, defaulted on his mortgage. The bank commenced foreclosure proceedings in October 2019, and in May, its assignee bought the property for $100 at a sheriff’s sale. The action was stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic as the state paused such cases.
Seetharaman, 42, of Freehold Township, was indebted to Philadelphia-based Republic First Bancorp Inc., beginning in December 2017. The records show he still owed the lender more than $2.5 million, besides interest, as of August.
A judge, sitting in state Superior Court in New Brunswick, ordered Seetharaman to appear last month at the Manalapan Township office of the bank’s attorney to provide financial records under oath.
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In an issue unrelated to the mortgage case, there is a lien on the property. The amount owed, as of Wednesday, was $62,325 for the initial delinquent taxes and utility payments, plus $213,224 for subsequent charges.
Mother’s likely adopted its name from Mothers Nite Club, once a popular draw for college students and rock ’n’ roll revelers on Route 23 north. That property, now owned by NJ Transit, is a park-and-ride lot for bus commuters.
The latter business opened the week leading up to the Fourth of July in 2015, boasting dozens of TVs and at least 50 varieties of beer on tap. The building was owned for generations by the Gabriel family, which operated a hotel and restaurant.
Well before the family assumed ownership in January 1946, the inn was a stopover for travelers along the Morris Canal.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mother's Ale House in Wayne NJ is for sale. Here's the price
