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
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
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
"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."
"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."
"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."
