Theodore Conklin, 77, Dies; His Rescue of an Inn Helped Save Sag Harbor

Theodore Conklin, the affable blue‑blazered proprietor of the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, N.Y., died on Feb. 1 in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was 77. His death, in a hospice facility, was from complications of cancer, Susie Franklin, his wife, said. Mr. Conklin was 23 when he bought the decaying 19th‑century American Hotel in the winter of 1972 for $60,000, borrowing the down payment from a grandmother and mortgaging the rest to the Youngs family.

He rebuilt the property as an upscale bar and restaurant with a French‑inflected menu and a wine cellar he grew to 30,000 bottles, beginning with Bordeaux; in the early 1980s Playboy declared it one of the country’s finest. His rehabilitation of the hotel helped revive the fortunes of the village.

He welcomed artists, writers, pop stars and local tradespeople alike, and the place acquired the 'fairy dust of celebrity sightings.' He ran a tight house: a dress code, no fighting, later bans on cellphones and a strict no‑Budweiser rule.

United States, Sag Harbor, N.Y.

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