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Holden Arboretum’s Lantern Court
Gardens and lovely Corning family home
By Marjorie Preston, Today’s Family Writer
 If you’re following our series on historical locations in Lake County, you’ll want to know about a country estate known as Lantern Court that sits on the grounds of The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland. The Holden Arboretum was a dream of the Holden family and supported in its beginnings by the Bole and Corning families, who donated land and funds to the project.
While Holden is best known for its 3,600 acres of beautiful flowers and plants, the striking Georgian-style home called Lantern Court was just purchased outright in 2007 by the Holden Arboretum. It had belonged to a foundation set up by its original owners, Mr. and Mrs. Warren H. and Maud Corning, but when the building changed hands, the family donated the building and its contents, leaving a beautiful collection of furnishings including artwork, furniture and rugs.
David Desimone, Holden’s Director of Guest Relations and Communications, says, “I think it’s always remarkable when a family moves out and leaves the contents. It feels more like a home than a museum.”
The Cornings were married in 1928, purchased the land in 1929 and then built and lived in their gatehouse complex in the early 1930s while the rest of the home was built by the firm of Maier and Walsh. The name Lantern Court comes from the wrought-iron lanterns that graced the entrance. The Corning family first used it as a summer and weekend home, and moved in full time after World War II. The architect, Edward Maier, used local materials wherever possible, including Ohio sandstone. Most of the home’s marble came from Vermont. Donald Gray, a landscape architect, situated the house for great views of the natural environment, including a nearby waterfall.
The Georgian colonial style carries throughout, though the master bedroom is done entirely in art deco style. There is much Northeast Ohio art hung around the home and oriental rugs on the floors. Desimone says that the Cornings “had eclectic but impeccable taste.” The couple made their wealth in investment banking and the impressive home has seventeen rooms, eight of which are available for public view during events. After the youngest of the couple’s five children moved out, they donated the use of Lantern Court to the Arboretum, sometime around 1966, and they moved to another property on Kirtland Chardon Road.
Lantern Court’s gardens are open to the public Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can take a guided tour of the gardens on Wednesday afternoons from 2-3 p.m. from April through October. The home itself is available for rental for private events and fundraisers. The lovely property features a newly-renovated arcade with a woodland view. Contact David Desimone at the Holden Arboretum at (440) 602-8017 or by email at ddesimone@holdenarb.org to rent Lantern Court for an event.
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