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Vol. 51 | No. 30 | July 25, 2025
White Cliffs set to host weddings again
Former home of Tavolino Westborough to become new bistro
Selected bidder brings years of wedding, renovation experience
westborough | 9 Hannah Kane hits decade mark representing 11th Worcester
By Shealagh Sullivan Reporter
White Cliffs may host weddings again after a Select Board vote. (Photos/Shealagh Sullivan)
Select Board greenlights bid from Elegant Banquets By Shealagh Sullivan Reporter NORTHBOROUGH – The Northborough Select Board announced on July 14 that it will award the lease of the White Cliffs Mansion to Elegant Banquets LLC and enter contract negotiations. The board found the Elegant Banquets proposal to be the most advantageous, according to evaluations from board members. The board voted unanimously to award the bid to the Connecticut-based company. Elegant Banquets would invest a total of $12 million into the property to renovate and restore it, said Select Board Chair Julianne Hirsh. Town Administrator Stephanie Bacon added that the company is looking for the town to contribute about $1 million in funding, which could be done through grants or Community Preservation Act funds. The specific details of the lease will be negotiated in the coming months and nothing has been finalized yet, Bacon added. In a proposal presented last month to the board, Elegant Banquets laid out its vision for the future of White Cliffs. The owners of Elegant Banquets, John Royce and his son, Justin Royce, said Elegant will lease the property and primarily market
White Cliffs as a wedding venue. The proposal includes adding a 5,350-square-foot addition with a ballroom designed to seat up to 300. “What we like to say is, we’re in the wedding business,” John Royce said. The plans for the addition will have to go before Northborough’s Design Review Committee. Elegant Banquets operates five properties in Connecticut and New York, all geared toward weddings. The company opened its first venue in 1986. The proposal includes plans to renovate and restore the original mansion, with the first floor designated for hosting and cocktail receptions and the second floor Cliff Bid | 8
An old photo of White Cliffs.
NORTHBOROUGH – The White Cliffs mansion could be hosting weddings again as soon as 2027. The Northborough Select Board awarded Elegant Banquets LLC, a Connecticut-based function company specializing in weddings, the lease on White Cliffs pending contract negotiations and approval from residents. The company pledged $12 million in renovations and restorations, with a request for about $1 million in grants or other funds from the town of Northborough. Elegant Banquets owns five other properties in New York and Connecticut, all of which operate as venues for weddings and other events. Three of the properties were renovations of historic properties, while the other two were built from the ground up. According to owner John Royce, the company has hosted over 3 million guests over its 39-year history. Of its events, about 80 percent have been weddings, he added. Here’s a look at its other properties. Le Chateau Le Chateau, which opened in 2018, is the most recent property acquisition by Elegant Banquets. Located in South Salem, N.Y., Le Chateau was commissioned by J.P. Morgan in 1907 as a gift for his pastor and friend, the Rev. William S. Rainsford. The property underwent a $10 million renovation, including a 7,000-square-foot addition to build a ballroom. During the company’s White Cliffs proposal to the Select Board on June 23, Royce compared Le Chateau’s history and renovation to White Cliffs. Both required historic preservation, and the plans and design for the proposed additions are similar to each other, he said. Le Chateau is the company’s only New York venue. Banquets | 8
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