Being a determined real estate mogul was hard work in the old days! The little city of Florence was swarmed with speculators who wanted to get rich, and in the 1880s the prime among them was Victor Lantry. This is a history of the Lantry-Thompson Mansion at 3524 State Street in Florence.
Building a Fine Mansion
Arriving in Florence around 1885, Victor Lantry (1841-1912) immediately started buying up land. Married to Mary Richards (1871-), their children were Victor Jr. (1879-1942), Maude (1879-1954), Pauline (1875-), Ruth (1885-), Sperry (1877-1934) and Nellie (1876-). Unfortunately, within a year of arriving he was embroiled in a series of lawsuits that accused him of using illegal, corrupt and otherwise heinous methods to obtain the land he owned. He fought them off successfully though.
In 1891, Lantry built a fine mansion on the hill high above Florence. The largest home in Florence for more than a century, it originally had 15 rooms across 3,600 square feet. There were seven bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room and dining room, kitchen, family room and den. With a wraparound porch on two sides, there is also a porch on the second floor for two bedrooms there. A stained glass window sat above the double front doors made of fine carved oak. There were originally four fireplaces including one in an upstairs bedroom, as well as indoor plumbing, rare when the home was built. A large butler’s pantry connected several small servant rooms.
Along with the home, there was also a carriage house built that had three horse stalls and room for two vehicles. A hay loft had chutes for dropping feed to the horses from above. It was said that Lantry used a two-wheel coupe to get around town. The home originally sat on more than 100 acres of land, including everything northwest of the home. To the east of the house was a paddock for horses, and to the west were large gardens and orchards.
Lantry moved to Cody, Wyoming in 1899 and in 1906, sold the house to an Omaha attorney named Will Thompson and his wife, Emma.
Florence Changes
William Henry “Will” Thompson (1864-1952) became a lawyer in Omaha in 1888. Becoming successful and wealthy within a decade, his family originally lived in the Bemis Park neighborhood. The Thompsons bought the Lantry mansion in 1906.
Thompson was born in Rochester, New York, and graduated from school in Greenville, Illinois, before moving to Omaha. He and his wife Emma A. Whitaker had three kids, including son Will, and daughters, Frances “Sally” and Grace. Emma Thompson died at home in 1954 at age 90.
After Emma died, the house was separated into apartments and stayed that way for years. In 1964, Will E.S. Thompson still lived at the house. Will’s sisters, Frances and Grace, lived there for a long time afterwards, too, and were teachers at Florence School for a long time.
Alive Again, and Again
In 1985, Kim and Terry Salerno bought the house for $110,000. Taking out the apartments in the house, the Salerno’s spent considerable time restoring the house to its original appearance. According to a feature on the house in the newspaper, they used old photos of the house and other sources to repaint the original color of the exterior, restore the wood shingled roof, and more. They replaced a furnace for part of the house, while the original boiler and radiators kept heating the rest. Chimneys were restored, and every room in the house was restored with drywall, paint, and carpeting.
In 1989, they listed it for sale for $159,950 and in 1990, it sold for $130,000 to Jo Marie Williams, who continues owning it today.
With five owners in the last 135 years, the Lantry-Thompson Mansion is one of the most substantial historic homes in Omaha. Today, there are 12 rooms in the 3,600 square foot house. It has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room and dining room, kitchen, family room and den. There is also an attached garage for one car and a carriage house with three horse stalls and room for two cars.
Today, the exterior integrity of the Lantry-Thompson Mansion is high, and there are rumors that the interior is beautiful – I’d love to see pics! It sits on a mere four acres now, but for a house within Omaha city limits that’s rare.
The house has not been designated as an Omaha Landmark or listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and that should happen.
This is the history of the Lantry – Thompson Mansion that I could find. Let me know in the comments below if you know any more!
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MY ARTICLES ABOUT THE HISTORY OF FLORENCE
Basics: History | Banks | Newspapers | Churches | Mayors
Public Places: Florence Main Street | Florence High School | The Mormon Tree | Mormon Bridge | Florence Boulevard | River Drive | J.J. Pershing Drive and Monument | Potter’s Field
Businesses: Florence Mill | Zestos | Florence Home | Florence Bank | Florence Mill | Florence Ferry | Florence Water Works | Florence Depot
Houses: Parker Mansion | Brandeis Country Home | Lantry-Thompson Mansion | Mitchell House | Hunt Mansion
Other Historic Places: Cutler’s Park | Winter Quarters | Vennelyst Park | Florence Building
People: James M. Parker | James Comey Mitchell | Florence Kilborn | Jacob Weber Sr.
Neighborhoods: Winter Quarters | Florence Field | Wyman Heights | High Point
Mormon History Locations: Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge | Site of the Mormon Tree | Cutler’s Park | Brigham Young House | Mormon Mill
Other: Directory of Florence Historic Places
BONUS PICS!
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