🔹 Longtime NJ wedding and event venue, The Manor, is closing for good

🔹 Owners say the West Orange property will shutdown in early July

🔹 The Manor is the latest NJ banquet hall venue to close after COVID struggles

WEST ORANGE — After decades of operation, one of New Jersey’s oldest high-end wedding and events venue has announced it would be closing this summer.

“After an immensity of difficult deliberation, it saddens us greatly to announce that this era of The Manor’s operation will be coming to an end,” the owners announced on the venue’s website, saying the final day of operations would be July 5.

The Manor in West Orange is closing (The Manor restaurant)
The Manor in West Orange is closing (The Manor restaurant)
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The Knowles family said they had already shared the news with “those most directly affected by this circumstance, including the couples, families, and clients who have planned future events with us, as well as our entire beloved Manor team.”

The Manor first opened more than 66 years ago.

The Manor in West Orange is closing (The Manor restaurant)
The Manor in West Orange is closing (The Manor restaurant)
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The owners also said they were working with clients to ensure that the final events booked at The Manor would be “accommodated with the same level of service and quality” expected at the venue.

The Manor in West Orange is closing (The Manor restaurant)
The Manor in West Orange is closing (The Manor restaurant)
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The future of the building was uncertain as of early February, the owners added.

“The Manor has had a full life even before our ownership and we expect that new opportunities will arise in whatever format that may take,” according to the online message.

Mayfair Farms in West Orange (Google Maps/Townsquare Media photo illustration)
Mayfair Farms in West Orange (Google Maps/Townsquare Media photo illustration)
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NJ banquet halls closed since height of COVID pandemic struggles

The Manor was being closed after a number of changes and challenges, including "the pandemic, through the discontinuation of our buffet, our à la carte dining and Le Dome," the owners said.

Last summer, another elegant banquet hall in West Orange, Mayfair Farms closed after 80 years.

Sterling Gardens in Matawan closed in July 2022 (Google Maps)
Sterling Gardens in Matawan closed in July 2022 (Google Maps)
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In Monmouth County, a venue and banquet hall in Matawan also shutdown in July 2022, after about 16 years in business.

At the time, the owners of Sterling Gardens said the pandemic had taken its toll on the venue.

Snuffy's Pantagis Renaissance
Snuffy's Pantagis Renaissance (Google Street View)
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More than a year earlier, a Union County venue also fell victim to economic struggles that piled on during COVID.

Snuffy's Pantagis Renaissance in Scotch Plains owed the township over a half million dollars in back property taxes and sewer bills by the time it was shuttered in November 2020.

The Manor owners encourage patrons to share memories

In announcing the summertime closure date, the Knowles family asked patrons to share their meaningful memories.

The Manor in West Orange is closing (The Manor restaurant)
The Manor in West Orange is closing (The Manor restaurant)
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“We encourage you to share with us your experiences, pictures and stories—though we are unhappy that this era is coming to its end, we are reminded of how amazingly fortunate that we have been to have had such odds-defying success and longevity filled with a building resounding in abundant joy,” the owners said on the venue’s website.

“We’re sad that this phase is ending, but grateful to have been a part of it. Thank you for letting us serve you. It meant the world to us.”

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

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