You’ve probably seen it. If you’ve ever spent a Saturday afternoon dodging crowds in New Hope, you can’t miss that massive stone church at 15 South Main Street. It’s got these soaring 40-foot ceilings and stained glass that looks like it belongs in Europe, not a small river town in Pennsylvania. For nearly two decades, this was Marsha Brown New Hope PA 18938, the kind of place where you’d go for a $50 steak and feel like you were in a New Orleans cathedral.
But then the doors stayed locked.
The pandemic hit everyone hard, and Marsha Brown’s wasn't immune. People still search for the name because it was more than a restaurant; it was a vibe. It was Creole jazz, heavy velvet curtains, and a 30-foot mural of St. George slaying a dragon. It felt permanent. Honestly, though, the transition from Marsha Brown to what sits there now—a spot called Oldestone—is actually one of the more graceful handoffs in the brutal world of Bucks County hospitality.
What happened to the Marsha Brown New Hope PA 18938 landmark?
Basically, the restaurant closed for good in 2020. It wasn't just a random business failure. Marsha Brown herself, a woman who basically built a New Orleans-inspired empire after a literal "note on a napkin" moment with Ruth Fertel (the founder of Ruth's Chris), decided it was time to pass the baton.
She didn't just sell it to some faceless corporation.
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The guy who took over, Wilfer Naranjo, actually started his career there as a food runner back in 2003. Talk about a full-circle moment. He and his partners, including Michael Sklar, bought the building and the recipes. So, if you go to 15 S Main Street today, you’ll find Oldestone Steakhouse, but the DNA of Marsha Brown is still baked into the walls. Literally. They kept the pews. They kept the bells that ring every fifteen minutes. They even kept some of the signature Creole dishes on the menu.
The building’s wild history (It wasn't always Gumbo and Jazz)
The structure at Marsha Brown New Hope PA 18938 has lived a thousand lives. Built in 1872 as a Methodist church, it cost about $14,000 to construct back then. That sounds like a bargain until you realize $14,000 in 1872 was a small fortune. Before it was a place to eat blackened catfish, it hosted high school graduations and Red Cross meetings during World War I.
When Marsha Brown took it over in 2003, she spent a mint renovating it. She added that ornate, gold-colored spiral staircase and turned the choir loft into a dining area. It was a bold move. Converting a sacred space into a temple of fine dining usually gets some pushback, but in New Hope, people just appreciated that someone was keeping the roof from caving in.
Is Marsha Brown still involved?
Short answer: no.
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She’s mostly retired from the day-to-day grind of the New Hope scene. Her legacy is the "people business," as she used to call it. She was famous for her "divine intervention" stories—like how a stranger at a coffee shop told her the old church was empty, which led her to buy the place in the first place.
If you’re looking for the Marsha Brown experience today, you have to look for the ghosts of it at Oldestone. The new owners were smart enough to realize that you don't just erase 18 years of local history. They kept the Russian artist Valeriy Belenikin’s massive mural. They even kept those weirdly beautiful chandeliers that were reportedly used as props in the John Wick 3 movie.
Why the address 15 S Main St New Hope PA 18938 still gets so much traffic
- The Architecture: It’s arguably the most photogenic building in town.
- The Food Legacy: People still crave that slow-cooked Cajun roux.
- The Location: It sits right in the "restaurant row" pocket of the 18938 zip code.
- The Real Estate: The property is a massive 6,200 square foot beast that is worth millions.
Most people don't realize that the land underneath the restaurant was once owned by some of the biggest names in Pennsylvania history—guys like John Coryell and Benjamin Canby. This isn't just a place to get a cocktail; it’s a piece of the original Delaware Canal infrastructure.
What to do if you're headed to New Hope now
If you were planning a trip specifically for Marsha Brown New Hope PA 18938, don't cancel your plans. Just pivot. New Hope is still a bit of a chaotic, wonderful mess on the weekends.
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- Go to Oldestone: You can still sit in the same church pews and see the mural. Order the Creole items if you're feeling nostalgic.
- Check the Bells: They still ring every quarter hour. It’s a great way to keep track of time when you’ve had one too many at the jazz bar downstairs.
- Walk the Canal: The restaurant is just steps from the towpath. It’s the best way to walk off a heavy steak dinner.
- Visit the Historical Society: They actually do tours and have the full scoop on why the Methodists left the building in 1999.
The reality is that Marsha Brown New Hope PA 18938 represents a specific era of the town's evolution—the transition from a sleepy arts colony to a high-end dining destination. While the name on the sign has changed, the spirit of that "divine intervention" restaurant still hangs around the rafters.
If you find yourself standing in front of those massive stone walls, take a second to look up. Most people just stare at their phones or the menu. But the real story is in the stonework and the fact that a food runner from twenty years ago now owns the keys to the castle. That’s a very "New Hope" kind of ending.
Actionable Next Steps:
If you want to experience the legacy of the space, book a table on the second floor (the old sanctuary) at Oldestone. Ask the server which of Marsha's original recipes are currently on the "hits" list—the Gumbo is usually the safest bet for a throwback. If you're into the history, walk two blocks over to the New Hope Historical Society at the Parry Mansion to see how the Main Street corridor looked before the church became a kitchen.