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Reasons To Visit

Lawrence Manor

In the 1940s, the former Blaisdell Farm farmhouse at 59 Doe Avenue was sold to Annette Sorensen and renamed Lawrence Manor. The origin of the Lawrence name is not known.

1940s postcard of Lawrence Manor.

1940s, AI-enhanced view from Lawrence Manor. The Methodist Parsonage, the next building down the hill at 27 Doe Avenue, is seen. The Parsonage was built in 1901, but has been a private home since 1982, when the Weirs Methodist Church sold it.

Lawrence Manor in the 1940s. This AI-enhanced photo was used in the following ad.

1947 Lawrence Manor ad. The original farm’s 400 acres had been reduced to just 40 at this point.

In 1955, Sorensen sold the property to Carl Davis. Below, a 1955 Lawrence Manor ad. 

Davis only owned and operated the property for one season. In 1956, he sold the property to George and Mary Spanos, owners of the adjacent Shangri-La resort, who used much of the Manor’s 40 acres of land to expand and extend their resort. Under the ownership of the Brickyard Mountain corporation, the new owners of the resort, the farmhouse building became the Manor, a French restaurant, but it only operated for a couple of years, from 1974-1975. The property then languished. By the 1990s, the building was in severe disrepair, and only 3 acres of the original land was left when it was put up for sale. New owners from 1998-2018 made several improvements, but when Keith O’Leary bought the property in 2018, the renovations and repairs were much more extensive. In 2020, O”Leary opened his Craft Beer Xchange, home of the Witches Brew Pub. Once again, however, the restaurant failed to make it. The remote location, unseen from busy Route 3, and not on the main, Lakeside Avenue drag, proved too difficult. The restaurant closed at the end of the 2025 season. On October 6, 2026, the property was approved for a 40-unit condominium development. This will result in a tear-down of the historic, 150-year old building.

The Craft Beer Xchange, on October 3, 2026. One summer season of uncut grass is evident.

The building sits at the top of a hill. There is a view of the lake from Doe Avenue, but the view from the building is now blocked by trees.