 I recently read an article in our local newspaper about Italianate architecture and noticed a feature common on many roofs in coastal towns close to my childhood home. Walking through towns in the Jersey Shore, I often looked for 19th-Century buildings with Widow's Walks and was surprised to see a similar style here in Lancaster known as the Belvedere. I was intrigued. The image of the Belvedere sparked my interest and I read on. I was hoping to find information about the Belvedere Inn on North Queen Street, but instead learned about the nearby home of Henry E, Leman on North Duke Street (pictured above). I searched the address and only found a parking lot for the Golden Living nursing home. I was disappointed that such a beautiful example of architecture was lost! As I zoomed in on the Google Map, I found what appears to be a carriage house that is still standing at the back of the property, facing Cherry Street. The roof appears to even have a flat area where a cupola would have once stood. I consulted a Sanborn Map from 1891 and believe this building to be the same. Took a deeper dive and discovered that at one time Samuel R. Slaymaker lived here. After a career with the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pennsylvania Traction Company, he founded the Slaymaker Lock Company, one of the largest producers of padlocks in the world. He purchased the Lancaster Examiner and New Era. He was also the owner of the Woolworth Building downtown and White Chimneys, the Slaymaker's family historic home built in 1779 and now an event venue (each of these places has a history worth researching).
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