In 1838, Richard Lawrence DeZeng (1788–1848), a retired engineer and canal builder from
Oswego, New York, bought the 220-acre property in Skaneateles for $12,000. In the same year,
Nicholas Roosevelt and his wife, Lydia Latrobe Roosevelt (daughter of architect
Benjamin Henry Latrobe), also retired to Skaneateles. The first foundation stone was laid in May 1839. DeZeng hired George Casey of
Auburn, New York to construct the 25-room
Greek Revival mansion at a cost of $18,000 (with an additional $11,000 spent on interior furnishings). The DeZengs call the home, Lake Home. The home may be the work of
Ithiel Town, the partner of
Alexander Jackson Davis, who designed the nearby 1852 home of
Reuel E. Smith, also in Skaneateles.
Ownership In September 1849, the home and 113.78 of the original remaining acres were sold by DeZeng's estate (who died in 1848) to John Legg for $10,000. A month later, in October, Legg sold the house to farmer Peter Whittlesey for $10,500. Whittlesey owned the home for eight years and further subdivided the property. In August 1858, Hale sold the home to Anson H. Lapham (1804–1876) for $8,000. Lapham, a wealthy leather trader, was from a large and prominent family. He was the uncle of
New York State Senator Nathan Lapham and was a cousin of
Susan B. Anthony (his paternal aunt,
Hannah Lapham Anthony, was Susan's grandmother), who visited the home frequently with fellow
suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. After Lapham's death in 1876, he left the home to his second wife, Amie Ann (
née Frost) Willetts Lapham (1816–1893). In November 1878, two years after Lapham's death, his widow sold the home to her son (from her first marriage), William Russell Willetts (1842–1917) for $20,000. In 1887, the Skaneateles Country Club was established and located just down the street from the residence. who referred to the home as Lakota, for $20,000. With his first wife, Florence McPheeters, Edward was the father of Florence Burne Padelford, who married
Robert Grosvenor, 3rd Baron Ebury in 1908. His second wife was Fannie (née Smythe) Woolsey, the sister of New York society matriarch
Helen Smythe Jaffray, and the two spent much time abroad, leading Padelford to sell the property in 1899. a grandson of
Nicholas Roosevelt and a second cousin of President
Theodore Roosevelt. He used it as a summer home, with his main residence being 1032
Fifth Avenue in New York City. Roosevelt was married to Augusta Eccleston (née Shoemaker) Boylston. In 1905, her daughter, aspiring actress Augusta Boylston was married to attorney Donald Campbell, son of Major General John Campbell, at
St. James Episcopal Church in Skaneateles and the reception was held at Roosevelt Hall. died in 1920. daughter of
William W. Morrow, a Judge and
U.S. Representative. In 1923, the Roosevelts entertain
Don Juan Riaño y Gayangos, the
Spanish Ambassador to the U.S. during the reign of
Alfonso XIII of Spain, at Roosevelt Hall. In 1930, then
Governor of New York,
Franklin D. Roosevelt, along with his wife
Eleanor and son
John, stop to visit and have lunch at the Hall. In 1932, Franklin visits again, this time while running for president. After he wins the presidency, Franklin appoints Harry
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a role he serves in until his death in 1936. After Harry's death, the home passed to his eldest son, Maj. William Morrow Roosevelt (1906–1983). William, who owned the house while serving with the U.S. Military in Guam, sold the home in 1944 to William H. Delavan. who developed Lake View Circle and sold a portion of the estate to Thomas Rich in 1963. The home was later transferred to the
Franciscan Friars in 2001. In 2007, the home reverted to Owen, who sold it to current owners, Mary and Peter Drescher, who use it as their summer home. ==References==