This list contains all of the extant historic houses located in
Fairmount Park in
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Most of the houses are referred to as
mansions due to their size and use as the summer country estates of Philadelphia's affluent citizens in the 18th and 19th centuries. During that period, the city's only developed areas were located several miles away to the southeast along the
Delaware River, making the current park areas along the
Schuylkill River an ideal refuge from epidemics during the summer months.[1][2] The mansions were built between 1742 (
Belmont Mansion) and 1810 (
Rockland), in various architectural styles including
Colonial Revival,
Federal,
Georgian,
Gothic Revival,
Greek Revival, and
Palladian, with some in combinations of those styles.
There are 19 extant historic houses of which 16 were constructed within the current boundaries of Fairmount Park, while three of the houses were moved to the park from elsewhere in the city—
Cedar Grove Mansion from
Frankford,
Hatfield House from
Nicetown, and
Letitia Street House from
Old City. All of the 19 houses were designed and used as private residences.
The Cliffs Mansion, located in east park, has been left in ruins since a 1986 fire caused by arson. Other historic houses were demolished due to extensive deterioration, vandalism, fire damage or insufficient funds for restoration. Demolished houses are not included in this list.
Three additional historic park buildings were designed like residential houses though they were never intended to be used as private residences: the
Ohio House—built by the
Ohio delegation for the
Centennial Exposition; the
Shofuso Japanese House—built in Japan as a museum exhibit for display at
MoMA, then relocated to Fairmount Park; and the
Smith Memorial Playhouse—designed, and still used, as an indoor play area for children.
This list does not include the historic
boathouses on
Boathouse Row which were designed as sporting
clubhouses rather than residential homes. The historic houses within the adjacent
Wissahickon Valley Park are also not included though that park was previously within the Fairmount Park system. Since 2010, all park areas and facilities are administered separately after the merger of the Fairmount Park Commission and the Department of Recreation into the new
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation department.[3]
The Fairmount Park Conservancy's Historic Preservation Trust, in collaboration with the city of Philadelphia, offers long-term leasing of some historic houses to civic organizations and businesses.[4] The lessees must commit to rehabilitate and maintain the buildings, without altering their historic architectural features, while allowing public access. The trust offers assistance to prospective lessees in assessing feasibility, identifying financial incentives, and managing rehabilitation and maintenance work.[5]
Note: the general Fairmount Park
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) listing date of February 7, 1972, is entered for all sites with no individual designation record; ~ is entered for Style and Architect when unknown.
^Chamounix: nearly doubled in size, c.1853; appropriated by the state for public use, 1867; nearly demolished after a fire; operated as a youth
hostel since 1964
^The Cliffs: home of
Joshua Fisher, the great-grandfather of
Joseph Wharton; left as a ruins since a 1986 fire caused by arson; covered by
graffiti
^Hatfield: enlarged and remodeled, 1838; porches added, 1850; moved from Hunting Park Ave near Pulaski Ave in
Nicetown, 1930
^Laurel Hill: once owned by
Philip Syng Physick, whose daughter inherited it and named it the Randolph House; renamed Laurel Hill Mansion in 1976; additions in c.1800, 1846; maintained by the nonprofit Women for Greater Philadelphia
^Lemon Hill: Henry Pratt's summer home on land acquired from
Robert Morris, including gardens and a greenhouse with lemon trees; maintained as a house museum by the
Colonial Dames of America and the Friends of Lemon Hill
^The Lilacs House: a.k.a. The Lilacs, and Lilac House; named for the many lilac bushes found there; farmhouse of Morten Garret; built in two main sections: a southern section c.1711, and a northern section in 1832; a
halfway house for juveniles in the 1990s; currently leased by
Outward Bound
^Ohio House: a.k.a. Ohio State Building; built from various
Ohiosandstones for the
Centennial Exposition—the only extant state exhibit; has functioned as a café, event venue and offices
^Ormiston: named for the Scottish estate of the owner's grandfather, Colonel
James Burd; maintained by the Royal Heritage Society of the Delaware Valley; ongoing restoration
^Ridgeland: maintained by the
Cancer Support Community of Greater Philadelphia (lessee) and the Fairmount Park Conservancy's Historic Preservation Trust
^Rockland: restored and maintained by Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia (lessee) and the Fairmount Park Conservancy's Historic Preservation Trust
^Sedgeley Porter's House: expanded from both ends at an unknown date using different color and pattern of
stonework; maintained by
Outward Bound (lessee) and the Fairmount Park Conservancy's Historic Preservation Trust
^Smith Memorial Playhouse: maintained by a nonprofit called Smith Memorial Playgrounds since 2004 when the original Smith trust's interest became insufficient for daily operations; used as a public indoor play area for young children
^Strawberry:
William Lewis's Summerville Mansion; Greek Revival wings added by
Joseph Hemphill, c.1828; name changed when strawberries were sold by renting farmers, 1846–67; maintained by a nonprofit called The Committee of 1926
^Sweetbriar: built for
Samuel Breck; named for the roses that grew there; restored by the
Junior League, 1932; restored by the city, 1976; maintained by the Modern Club, 1939–2014; currently closed, awaiting a new lessee tenant[48]
^Woodford: home of
William Coleman, a close friend of
Benjamin Franklin; 2nd floor added c.1771–72; kitchen wing added c.1790; other owners included
David Franks and Isaac Wharton, a son of
Joseph (b.1707); maintained by the Naomi Wood Trust
References
^
ab"The Cliffs: Fairmount Park Ruins with a Link to Joseph Wharton". (
archive) by Steven Ujifusa. phillyhistory.org. City of Philadelphia. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2017. "The Cliffs was...an informal retreat where the Fishers escaped the city's miserable, disease-ridden summers."
^
ab"History Of Sweetbriar Mansion". (
archive) fairmountparkhistoricsites.org. The Fairmount Park Council for Historic Sites. Retrieved November 5, 2017. "Samuel Breck...built Sweetbriar Mansion in 1797 to escape the Yellow Fever epidemic."
^"Parks & Recreation Department History". (
archive) phila.gov. The City of Philadelphia. Retrieved November 5, 2017. "The Fairmount Park Commission, created in 1867, and the Philadelphia Department of Recreation, created in 1951...officially merged on July 1, 2010."
^
ab"Fairmount Park Trail Master Plan". issuu.com. Andropogon Associates, Ltd (for the Fairmount Park Commission). December 31, 2000. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
^"Boelsen Cottage, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania". (
archive) loc.gov.
National Park Service. Retrieved November 5, 2017. "Note: this National Park Service source lists many name alternatives and differs in three ways from the Fairmount Park Commission's report (the primary source listed in this column and probably the more accurate one): by spelling of last name (Boelsen, rather than Boelson), year of construction (c.1800, rather than 1678–84), and use of the house (possible servant's quarters for Belmont Mansion, instead of the personal home of its owner)."
^"John Penn" (archive). philadelphiazoo.org. Philadelphia Zoo. Retrieved November 5, 2017. "John may have been his own architect; preliminary plans for the house were sketched in his hand."