Historic Strawberry Mansion

Strawberry Mansion
Strawberry Mansion in 2014
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39°59′40″N 75°11′26″W
Built	c. 1783–1789
Architectural style(s)	Federal with Greek Revival wings
Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
Location of Strawberry Mansion in Pennsylvania Historic Strawberry Mansion (the United States) Show map of PennsylvaniaShow map of the United StatesShow all

Historic Strawberry Mansion is a summer home in East Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Built between 1783 and 1789 by Judge William Lewis, it was originally named Summerville.

Early history

Lewis purchased land in what is now Fairmount Park, including some existing buildings, and built the mansion sometime between 1783 and 1789. He lived there until his death in 1819 at the age of 68.

Joseph Hemphill (born 1770) purchased Strawberry Mansion in 1821, two years after Lewis's death. His family was responsible for adding the Greek Revival wings to the Federal style structure erected by Lewis, c. 1828.

In 1867 the mansion was sold to the city by a landowner who had owned it since Judge Hemphill's death in 1842. The purchase of the mansion, along with a great deal of the surrounding land, was part of an effort to protect the source of the city's drinking water, the Schuylkill River. The area was named East Fairmount Park, under the supervision of the Fairmount Park Commission.

Renovations

In 1926, several women's clubs combined efforts with Mayor W. Freeland Kendrick to create a Sesquicentennial Exposition in South Philadelphia in honor of the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Several women from the event did not want to disband, and instead sought an area to move many of the antique furniture collections to another location. Under the supervision of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Fairmount Park Commission, the new Committee of 1926 renovated Strawberry Mansion to be used as a museum and place of hospitality. Funds for the renovation were donated by Joseph Horn of Horn and Hardart's automats, who grew up in the Philadelphia area and played in the park as a child. Women's societies throughout the city filled the rooms with exceptional period furnishings. The house officially reopened in 1931 with Mrs. J. Willis Martin (Elizabeth Price) as the first president of the Committee of 1926. Today the Committee of 1926 continues to preserve the historic house museum and the principles of hospitality on which it was founded.

The mansion was renovated again in the early 21st century.

Name

Between 1846 and 1867, Strawberry Mansion received its current name. It is believed that farmers occupying the mansion served strawberries and cream to the public.

Tours

The mansion is open for tours from February to December, as follows:

• In February, tours are from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, by appointment only.
• In March, it is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday and Sundays, by appointment only.
• In mid-April through December, the house is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. The last tour leaves promptly at 3 pm.

See also

• List of houses in Fairmount Park
• Nannie Lee House aka Strawberry Mansion in Florida
• Strawberry Mansion (disambiguation)
• Strawberry Mansion Bridge
• Strawberry Mansion High School
• Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia

External links

• Historic Strawberry Mansion Homepage
• Fairmount Park
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Park House Guides, PMA,
• Historic Photographs of Historic Strawberry Mansion, PhillyHistory.org
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation:
  • HABS No. PA-1668, "Strawberry Mansion", 24 photos, 1 color transparency, 8 data pages, 5 photo caption pages
  • HABS No. PA-6184, "Schuylkill River Villas", 18 data pages of historical context