Lancey House

Lancey House

A view of the Lancey House property at the northeast corner of Easy and Main Streets. A popular hotel and resturant. It was owned at this time by Leon E. Gordon. This building was built in 1911 to replace a previous hotel that burned in 1906. In this image a car is parked on the street to the left. Signs state "Coffe Shop" "Steaks". Over the entryway the sign states "Lancey House Coffee Shop Dinning Room". The hotel has a remarkable history that the Pittsfield Historical Society describes on their website. "In 1929, Willard W. Lehr, Sr. purchased the Lancey House and operated it until 1945. In 1940, he added a coffee shop. In 1941, the top of the Lancey House became a civil defense observation post, and remained so for the rest of WW2. In January 1945, J. R. Cianchette purchased the Lancey House. With characteristic enthusiasm, Cianchette immediately began making plans to renovate the establishment from cellar to roof. Many improvements were made, but the most startling changes occurred on the first floor under the supervision of hotel architects from Massachusetts. The lobby, dining area, and bar were completely modernized. The dining room, with its murals depicting Maine seascapes and inland beauty spots, was most attractive and in a very short time its reputation for fine food and delightful atmosphere spread throughout New England. Norman Wright, a former resident of Pittsfield, was the first manager under the new ownership. Later Darrell Dunton was promoted to Manager, then came George Pratt, James Murphy, Al Marsano and Lloyd Jamieson. In the course of five years, the famous old hostelry had five owners. After fifteen years of proprietorship that rivaled the heyday of Isaac Lancey, J. R. Cianchette turned it over, in 1960, to Leon E. Gordon who was in charge only for a short spell when it was sold to the Cianchette brothers, with Clair Cianchette as manager. During this regime, a serious fire damaged the kitchen and coffee shop, which were quickly restored. In August 1965, the hotel was sold to Norman S. Stafford of Winchester, Mass. On October 30 1965, another blaze occurred that completely crippled the property. Although during 1966 there was still much talk of building a new Lancey House, in September the demolition of the remains had begun and was completed by early October, leaving a vacant lot. By June 1969 the lot was finally filled in and beautified. In 1970, a branch of the Waterville Savings Bank (now People’s Heritage Bank) was built on the lot." https://www.pittsfieldhistoricalsociety.org/lancey-house-page/ 2021