Eight historic houses of fairmount park

Eight Historic Houses in Fairmount Park Chamounix

Eric McKeever

Fairmount Park includes property and houses that were originally designed as private residences, though many of them currently serve other purposes, including as museums and research centers.

Strawberry Mansion Historic Strawberry Mansion is the largest of the historic Fairmount Park Houses and serves as a museum housing 18th and 19th century antiques, works of art, and collectibles.

1951

Current

Also known as “Summerville,�

Strawberry Mansion was built by lawyer and abolitionist Judge William Lewis in 1789 as a summer home. In 1867 the Fairmount Park Commission purchased the property.

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Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

Judge Joseph Hemphill, the second owner, began construction of the two Greek-revival wings in 1825.

The building has since been renovated and restored several times, but has mostly retained its original structure.

1930

The Committee of 1926 first restored the building in 1930 and opened it to the public as a museum. A second restoration project occurred between 2009 and 2013, during which the Committee repaired everything from window sashes to roofing and added modern HVAC and electrical systems.

1949

The mansion, located in East Fairmount Park on Strawberry Mansion Drive, is open from February to December for guided public tours. Inquiries to rent the property for private events of up to 250 guests are also encouraged.

Current Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

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1927

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently in charge of maintenance on the property, located in West Fairmount Park on Cedar Grove Drive near 39th Street and W Girard Ave. Guided public tours are available between April and December.

Current

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Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

1932

Current

The wealthy widow Elizabeth Coates Paschall built Cedar Grove between 1748–50. The Coates, Paschall, and Morris families used the the farmhouse as a seasonal residence for the next five generations.

The original house contained only a large bedroom, a parlor, and a lean-to kitchen, with such extravagant features as a detailed marble mantlepiece. A series of renovations expanded the house to its current size.

Cedar Grove

1928

The families also hosted a number of Quaker gatherings during the early 19th century.

Around this time the porch was added, as well as more bedrooms and another kitchen.

Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

Current

The Fairmount Park Commission purchased the house, originally located in Frankford, from Lydia Thompson Morris in 1926. Since its relocation, the building has retained its layout.

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Before William Peters, a land management agent for the Penn Family, purchased the property in 1742, a group of small farms existed. Here he developed the original house and surrounging formal gardens. The neighborhood surrounding Bemlont Mansion today is named for the Palladian style building.

1949

Belmont Mansion Richard Peters, William’s son, used the property during his lifetime as a stop on the Underground Railroad. He hid fugitive slaves in an attic in the house. He also owned both indentured servants and slaves, some of whom he allowed to purchase their own freedom.

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Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

Since the acuisition of the property by the Fairmount Park Commission, the mansion has seen a number of renovations. It has been a place for public entertainment, formal gatherings, residence, and a museum highliting the history of the house and its history of involvement with the Underground Railroad.

1935

Current Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

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Chamounix Mansion

1965

Chamounix Mansion was built as a summer retreat in 1802.

The size of the house was almost doubled in 1853 by Topliff Johnson, whose family was later forced to leave in 1867 when the land was claimed for Fairmount Park. In the 1950s, a fire damaged the building, at the time a refreshment stand. It was soon restored dedicated as a hostel in 1964.

Current

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1969

Today the mansion, located in West Fairmount Park on Chamounix Drive, offers accomodations for visits at a rate of $22 per person per night for up to seven nights.

Current

Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

1949

Current

Mount Pleasant Scottish ship captain John Macpherson designed and built this house between 1762 and 1765.

Though it has been restored extensively, Mount Pleasant mostly retains its original structure and location on Mount Pleasant Drive in East Fairmount Park.

1979

The mansion, once described by John Adams as “the most elegant seat in Pennsylvania,� is currently closed for general maintenance.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art upkeeps the property and usually offers guided tours of the house.

Current Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

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Samuel Breck, a congressman and notable figure in the development of Philadelphia’s public school system, built Sweetbriar Mansion in 1797 in effort to avoid the Yellow Fever epidemic. He used the house to entertain such guests as Marquis de Lafayette and Dr. Benjamin Rush.

After the death of his child in 1828 Breck sold the mansion to an ice company who took advantage of the shore access the property had on the Schuylkill River. Interstate 76 marks the edge of the property line today.

Since the 20 acre estate was added to Fairmount Park in 1869, it has been restored twice, in 1932 and 1976. These restorations removed the exterior porches in the front and rear. The mansion, located in West Fairmount Park on Sweetbriar Drive, was most recently operated and maintaned by the Modern Club until 2014. While the city seeks another operator, the house has been closed for renovations.

1927

Undated

Sweetbriar Mansion

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Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

Woodford Mansion, built in 1756, originally stood 11/2 stories high and served as a summer home for William Coleman, a wealthy Philadelphia merchant. In 1771, David Franks purchased the property and expanded it to include a two-story addition in the back. A fire in 2003 left much of the building damaged, but the structure was updated and restored within two years.

1925

Woodford Mansion Current

After passing through possession of a number of wealthy Philadelphians following Franks, Woodford acted as the headquarters for the East Fairmount Park House Guard after the city purchased the property and added it to the park in 1867.

Today, the mansion is a museum displaying a collection of Naomi Wood’s colonial objects.

Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

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Rockland Mansion

Undated

1976 12

Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

Current

Rockland Mansion, located on Mount Pleasant Drive in East Fairmount Park, has remained unchanged since its construction in 1810 by Philadelphia merchant George Thomson. The Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, a non-profit organization promoting the practice, occupies and maintains the building today.

Resources digital.library.temple.edu/ http://parkcharms.com/ http://www.fairmountparkhistoricsites.org http://www.historic-details.com/places/pa/phila/fairmount-park-houses/ http://www.philahostel.org/ http://www.philamuseum.org/visit/20-395.html?keyword=Tours http://www.schuylkillriver.org/Detail.aspx?id=531 http://www.woodfordmansion.org/ https://pcph.memberclicks.net/

Historic Houses of Fairmount Park

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