Having built and lived in Greystone for almost 80 years, the Donato family and Greystone are inextricably linked.
Early 20th Century
The history of Greystone began shortly after Raphael Donato gifted the house to his nephew, Andrew Sr., and his wife Lena (Philomena) in 1909. During Andrew and Lena’s time in the house, it was used primarily as a farmhouse. There were numerous greenhouses on the property up until the late 1940s. There is anecdotal evidence that Lena took carts of fresh vegetables and produce to Swarthmore Village to sell. We do know that when we remodeled what had been the home’s kitchen prior to 1947, we found handwritten vegetable orders and delivery information (local Swarthmore addresses and 5-digit phone numbers) hand-written on the plaster walls.
Delivery to 402 Park Ave SW6-2130. This type of phone exchange was common in the 20s and 30s
A vegetable order for some lucky Swarthmorian family
The 1920s – 1940s and Prohibition
Possibly as early as 1920, Andrew Donato, Sr., built a banquet and dance hall on the southwestern-most section of the estate called The Green Lawn Inn. It quickly became a local event center and hosted many a Donato wedding reception. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting that at one time, The Green Lawn Inn operated as a speakeasy. Greystone had a still operating in the attic and it was believed that liquor from the still was brought to the basement of the house, where it then could be carried through a tunnel under the property over to The Green Lawn Inn.
Advertisements from the Chester Times and Daily Times during the 1940s showing the evolution of The Green Lawn Inn’s name.
The “Great” Fire
In July 1933, just a few months before Prohibition would be lifted, the Chester Times newspaper reported that a fire of “undetermined origin” roared through the roof of the house, causing an estimated $2,000 in damages (about $36,000 in today’s dollars). The fire’s source was allegedly caused by a still operating in the attic. Our rehab efforts have verified there was significant fire damage in that area and that repair work dating back to the 1930s-1940s had been done. Remains of the copper still were removed from the attic prior to us purchasing the house. Additional evidence included the story of a life-long area resident who recounted in his youth when the police would come to raid the speakeasy, the Donatos would dump the liquor into their backyard – where it eventually flowed onto his parent’s property. flooding it with spilled liquor. There is a (sealed) tunnel entrance in the basement that allegedly led to an underground passageway between the house and The Inn. There are also the remnants of shelving where liquor bottles would have been stored.
The 1940s – 1980s
In 1939, The Green Lawn Inn changed its name to Green Lawn Hall and then by the mid-1940s just to Greenlawn. Then, in 1950, it became known as Andy’s Bar. Often considered the local “watering hole”, both Greenlawn and the Donato’s ran afoul of the Swarthmore police for serving minors – mostly students from Swarthmore College who had come to drink and dance.
On the right, an article from the Swathmorean dated 1959 describing the court appearance of Andrew Sr. and Jr. on charges of serving alcohol to minors (students from Swarthmore College).
Fade into History
By the 1960s Andrew Donato, Jr. sold the property and it continued to operate for several decades as Florian Tavern (1961), Chuck’s Hide-a-Way (1968), Danny Murphy’s Tavern (1971), Friendly’s Tavern, and finally as Pickle’s Place. The challenges that came with having a bar located within a quiet, residential community eventually became too much for the township to tolerate. In 2008, the property was purchased by the township and converted into Ridley’s Creekside Center community center.