Today, it remains home to many
gilded age mansions such as
Lynnewood Hall, a 110-room,
neoclassical estate, the
Elkins Estate presently being restored as a hotel-spa, distillery and events center[6] and the
Henry West Breyer Sr. House, the former residence of the ice cream magnate which now serves as the Cheltenham Township Municipal building.[7]
In 2018, New York Magazine described Elkins Park as "an old, elegant neighborhood of close-clustered homes".[8] It is notable for its varied architectural styles (among them:
Modern,
American colonial and
Dutch colonial,
Queen Anne,
English Cottage and
Tudor[9]) its wealth of homes designed by renowned 19th and 20th century architects such as
Horace Trumbauer,[10]Louis Kahn[11] and
Robert A.M. Stern[12] and its diversity of religious institutions. With six synagogues it also makes up the foundation of the "
Old York Road Corridor" of the Philadelphia area Jewish community, supported by the approximately 25,000 Jews in the Cheltenham-
Jenkintown-Abington region.[13] Seasonally Elkins Park hosts a variety of religious and cultural festivals such as the "Taste of Greece" food festival,[14] the Romanian food festival, the Serbian food festival, various Jewish festivals such as a multi-congregation Purim celebration, and arts festivals like "Arts in the Park".[15]
Though distinct communities, the neighborhoods of
Melrose Park and historic
La Mott share a postal code with Elkins Park.
As of 2021, the
US Census QuickFacts reports that Elkins Park is 62.6% white alone, 27.6% Black or African American, 4.9% two or more races, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, and 3.8% Asian alone.[17]
The total population was 6,901 people according to 2020 Census figures.[18]
The
median household income in 2021 dollars was $111,826, the median family income was $146,744 and the median income for married-couple families was $175,368.[18] The per capita income was $66,543.[17]
High School Park, an 11-acre park with four distinct ecosystems, was the original grounds of Cheltenham High School and became a township park in 1996 after the building burned down
Richard Wall House Museum, a house listed on State and National Registers of Historic Places, had the distinction of being the oldest Pennsylvania house in continuous residence until rehabilitation work began, now a museum
The former campus of the
Tyler School of Art, the art school of
Temple University. The site is currently being developed as "a center for artists and architects" for Creatio International.[21]
Toward the western end of Elkins Park is
Pennsylvania Route 611 (Old York Road). In Elkins Park,
Pennsylvania Route 73 runs along Township Line Road, mostly marking the border between Cheltenham and Abington townships.
Wilt Chamberlain, American professional
basketball player who played
center and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history, lived in Elkins Park[23]
In the
AMCperiod drama television series Mad Men, the character
Betty Draper was raised in the "tiny Philadelphia suburb of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania". During the
show's second season, Betty's father has a series of strokes, and is taken to "Elkins Park Hospital".[36] This would have actually been the former Rolling Hill Hospital, which opened in 1953, and is now known as
MossRehab and Einstein at Elkins Park, part of the
Einstein Healthcare Network.