1876 Second Empire Mansion Reborn as Event Venue
1 East Church Street, Fairport, NY 14450
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Pricing varies by event; the Green Lantern Inn has been rebranded as the DeLand House on Main and operates primarily as a private event space.
Access
Limited Access
Historic mansion with multiple floors and stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1876 · Second Empire Architecture · National Register of Historic Places · Speakeasy History
Henry DeLand made his fortune in Fairport manufacturing baking soda before losing it in a Florida orange-grove freeze in the 1890s. The Second Empire residence he commissioned in 1876 — with a tower, deep porches, and many fireplaces — was reportedly one of the grandest private homes in western New York. The building stands at Fairport's Four Corners and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1925, the property was purchased by Florence Haber, who renovated the mansion into the Green Lantern Inn. The new operation included first-class accommodations and a third-floor ballroom. During Prohibition, alcohol was reportedly available in a hidden speakeasy loft. Through the twentieth century the building served variously as restaurant, rooming house, and banquet hall, with banquet facilities expanded in 1964.
In 2011, owners launched The Cellar Door restaurant on the property; both venues closed in January 2014. The mansion has since been renamed the DeLand House on Main, with the current operators describing the venue as private event space and offering a lower-level bar concept called Main and Vine.
Sources
Folklore associated with the Green Lantern Inn during its restaurant decades attributes ongoing activity to Henry DeLand, who built the home in 1876 and never fully recovered from his Florida investment loss. Staff and visitors over the years described lights turning on in upstairs rooms after closing, doors that opened or closed on their own, and the impression of a presence moving through the parlors. A female apparition is also referenced in some collected accounts.
The Shadowlands Haunted Places Index entry for the property describes a woman said to turn on lights and close doors. With the venue now operating as the DeLand House on Main rather than as a public restaurant, paranormal investigations are not part of the building's marketed programming, and contemporary firsthand accounts are limited to staff and event guests.
Notable Entities
Photograph the 1876 Second Empire mansion with its distinctive tower, porches, and detailing at the corner of Main and Church Streets in downtown Fairport. The structure is on the National Register of Historic Places and remains visible from the public sidewalk.
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