Pergola Gardens/Dance Hall

In the early 1920s, the short-lived Pergola Gardens and Green Lantern Restaurant occupied this site, directly across from The New Inn. Together, they helped establish the nucleus of what became the “New Lake Road” business district—better known today as the Strip.

Originally called The Bird Cage, Pergola Gardens featured a distinctive dance floor covered by a cage-like pergola. A July 1919 newspaper captured its charm: “Trellises, vines, birds and soft light effects, with alternate dreamy waltzes and lively one-steps to jazz music—these are the combinations drawing people from all along this mile of shore.”

The venue was created by Cleveland native and World War I veteran Jack Dunn, who transformed an old Spencerian Hall into what was described as a “veritable sylvan bower.” Crowds packed the dance floor and filled the space nightly—except Sundays, when dancing was not permitted.

Also known as The Bird Cage, Pergola Gardens was one of the earliest dance halls along New Lake Road. Though larger venues would eventually overshadow it, the establishment played an important role in shaping the early identity of the Strip as it developed around The New Inn.

Located beside it, the Green Lantern Restaurant was another early fixture of the area. By the 1930s, both businesses had disappeared, leaving behind only their place in the story of Geneva-on-the-Lake’s beginnings.