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The Green Lantern Inn has been a landmark in the Rochester New York area for over 125 years. Originally built as a private residence, the Inn was converted to a boarding house, a tavern, a full service restaurant and is presently a banquet facility.
The Deland House, now known as the Green Lantern Inn was designed by Mr. John Thomas and is in the style of a French chateau. Started in 1875 and occupied in 1876, it is considered to be the best local example of high second empire architecture.
The distinguishing features of this style are multiple chimneys, a slate mansard roof, four square floor plan, central tower and decorative porches and spires with built in gutters and roof dormers. Originally vegetable gardens occupied the eastern portion of the property next to the house.
The foundation of the old building is made of field stone and is about three feet thick. The body of the house is brick three to five courses thick. Since it was designed to be painted, the brick does not have a hard kiln- fired outer layer. The foundation apron, door and window casings and keystones are made of Medina stone. The roof covering is standing seamed and is made of small squares of tin plated steel soldered together, the mansard portion is Vermont slate and has rolled sheet metal and lead flashings. Cast iron adornment (cresting) surrounded the periphery of the roof. Built-in gutters to collect rain water were made of common pine and lined with soldered tin plated steel. The ornate bracketing under the gutters is of pine and is decorative only and not designed to support the gutter system. The porches are also wood.The body of the house was painted taupe. A popular method of the day was to mix sand with the paint and give the wood and brick parts of the building the expensive look of stone.
Inside the house the woodwork, doors and windows on the lower level are clear chestnut, walnut and mahogany. The crown moldings between ceiling and walls are plaster and were cast in place using a moving form. Four of the six fireplaces are Italian marble. Two are slate which have been painted to look like marble. The tall windows, some curved, are imported from France. Hardwood floors are oak and in the entertainment areas they are parquet oak. All the walls were painted.
The house was built by Henry Addison Deland (1834-1908) of the distinguished Fairport Deland family. His family, with many relatives, occupied the house for about seventeen years. Henry had indoor plumbing installed when the house was new making this one of the first houses in the area to have such modern conveniences. Rain water was collected in the eaves gutters and stored in a basement cistern and then pumped to a storage tank in the attic to provide running water. The house was lit with gas fixtures. It was constructed for about 50,000 dollars. Henry was a frequent visitor to Florida. Deland, Florida is named after him and he was a prominent benefactor in the founding of Stetson College. Lake Harlan and Lake Helen near Deland are named for his children. The Deland's invested heavily in Florida real estate and leased property to orange growers. Due to a crop freeze in 1892 , Henry lost his fortune when the farmers defaulted on payments. All the Deland family are buried in the cemetery on Summit Street in the Village of Fairport. Pictures of the family are on display on the grand staircase of the inn.
At the turn of the century the house was purchased by the Clark family, wealthy farmers from Penfield. In 1905, they installed the stained glass windows and the electric chandeliers and a white tile bathroom, all of which are still in use. They also lit the four original entrances with stained glass lanterns. All contained flowers and greenery.
Victor and Fanny Holmes, from Copenhagen, Denmark, bought the house in 1910 and called it Villa Rosenborg. Victor had made his fortune selling mineral products. An avid gardener, he had built a summer house, grape trellises, extensive rose gardens and four sunken lawns. These landscaping techniques were in fashion at the turn of the century. A reflecting pool with water lilies was built next to the carriage barn.
In 1920 the Rochester Realty Company bought the house. They were anticipating that a new trolley line to be built from Rochester to Syracuse was to go down the center of East Church Street in front of the house. Their plan was to tear down the structure to provide room for a new trolley station. The trolley line, however, was eventually laid between of the Erie canal and the New York Central tracks, about a quarter mile north of the house. Demolition plans were abandoned.
In 1925 the house was bought by Geraldine Harradine. Her sister and brother-in-law Walter and Ethel Haight turned the house into an inn with overnight guests. The Deland Rooms were used for small parties. Ethel took note of the entrance lights with the greenery and said "this inn will be called the Green Lantern Inn". One lantern still exists in the entrance facing Main Street.
During the Haights ownership the first floor of the house was opened as a restaurant and a tap room was added upon repeal of prohibition in 1933. Walt and Ethel were approached in 1934 by the Pure Oil Co to lease the western corner of their property. A lease for the corner of twelve hundred dollars per year was drawn up. A small service station was built.
Walt died in 1946 and Don Malcolm, formerly of Malcolm (Hastings) Oldsmobile in Penfield, leased the Green Lantern Inn from Ethel until 1950. Ethel sold the eastern portion of the property to Sam Gottry, owner of the Gottry Carting Company, and Dick McCarthy in 1950. She continued to own the small service station in front of the Green Lantern until her death in 1961. That building is now owned by Jim Brown and used as an insurance office.
Jack O’Neill and Ray Placious bought the inn from Gottry and McCarthy in 1954. They began to operate the Inn as a full service restaurant serving lunch and dinner. Overnight guests were still welcome. Banquet facilities, adding ten thousand square feet to the existing structure, were completed in 1964. Jack, retiring in 1973, sold the inn to Terry and Brenda O'Neil in 1980, the same year as the house was listed on the Registry of Historic Places.
The inn was closed to overniight guests in 1963 and the ala carte and tavern business were discontinued in 1976. An eastern portion of the original property was sold to John Howard in 1890. He erected a two story wood frame structure on the lot and the Howard family lived there for many years. Several owners later, the house was converted into apartments in 1970. The property was subsequently sold to Terry O’Neil in 1985. The house was demolished and the Howard property was reunited with the Deland property in 1986 when the property line was legally dissolved. An extensive restoration project was started in 1976. Upon completion in 1989, the structure was given a new coat of paint.
The Inn has undergone many changes since being the home of the Delands.However, much of the original building has remained unchanged and would probably be familiar to the Delands if they walked through the main entrance today
In 2004 the building was purchased by Matthew and Stephanie Laurence. Matthew returned to Fairport after working as the executive chef of the Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore. The Laurences continue to use the Green Lantern for arranged banquets and corporate dinners.