Open the doors and step into a piece of living history
The Stotesbury Mansion is steeped in history from ties to the Declaration of Independence and the White House to its rich architectural pieces from around the world and its grandeur as a Philadelphia landmark and event venue registered on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built as a wedding present and has lived on for over a century as one of Philadelphia’s most entertaining downtown mansions.
Currently the home of the Philopatrian Literary Institute, the Stotesbury Mansion was built in 1870 by architect Wilson Eyre, Jr. who had been commissioned by Thomas McKean to build a spectacular home for his son, Henry McKean, as a wedding present. Thomas McKean was the namesake and descendant of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
In 1890, Mr. Edward T. Stotesbury purchased the home as an addition to his adjoining residence. At the time, the press heralded it as the largest and grandest townhouse in all of the East Coast. In 1911, in anticipation of his upcoming nuptials, Stotesbury commissioned Sir Joseph Duveen, who was the designer to such families as the Morgans, Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers, to install such prominent pieces as the Tiffany glass skylight above the grand staircase (now removed), the marble entryway, Dolly Madison’s fireplace from the White House that was purchased by the soon-to-be Mrs. Stotesbury in 1890, and the squash court installed on the fifth floor installed for Mrs. Stotesbury’s son, James H.R. Cromwell.
The renovations were completed in 1912 in time for the wedding of Mr. Stotesbury to the widow Mrs. Lucretia Roberts Cromwell. The wedding was held at the townhouse with such attendees as Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Morgan and President Taft. Mr. Morgan was a frequent visitor to the townhouse because of his banking partnership with Mr. Stotesbury.
The new Mrs. Stotesbury catapulted Mr. Stotesbury into the elite Philadelphia society as they became the most popular hosts in the city.
In 1914, Mrs. Stotesbury felt that the townhouse needed a ballroom for entertaining. Mr. Stotesbury commissioned Lord Joseph Duveen once again for the ballroom construction. They imported a Georgian ballroom that was in the Lord’s manor in England. It took 500 craftsmen over a year to reassemble the ballroom in Stotesbury Mansion. They imported the crystal Louis XV period chandeliers, the 14th Century Italian marble fireplace, the gold ceiling panels, the Beauvais tapestry that represented abundance hung from the Italian fireplace, and the marble Corinthian columns. In addition, the innovative ideas of the designer led to the installation of an organ and orchestra area (“fiddlers booth”) above the two entrance doors to the ballroom, for their private entertainment pleasures. At the entrance to the ballroom, a fountain splashed softly and one could pause for a moment on the small granite benches to enjoy the effect.
The ballroom soon became the scene of many brilliant social functions. On one occasion, President Taft, who was in town to attend a party at the Union League, came to midnight dinner with several opera stars from the old Hammerstein House. These after-opera parties were quite frequent and brought together many notables including Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt and General Douglas MacArthur (who later went on to marry Mr. Stotesbury’s daughter).
In addition, in an effort for the wealthy families to continue to entertain during Prohibition, the Stotesburys installed a mirror maze and hidden doors in order to divert authorities from their extravagant affairs during this period. The mirror maze continued to be effective as a burglar device until 1958 when it was disassembled to become the hall of mirrors that currently exists.
As the Stotesburys began to entertain more often, Mr. and Mrs. Stotesbury moved out to Chestnut Hill to build what would become known as Whitemarsh Hall.
In 1925, the Philopatrian Club, now known as the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute, purchased a portion of the townhouse and a large portion of the priceless collection of paintings located in the home. The Philopatrians made upgrades to Stotesbury including its second level Billiard Room which houses pool and billiard tables that date back to 1912.
For a century, the Philopatrians have maintained the grandeur of Stotesbury Mansion, even managing to keep Dolly Madison’s fireplace when First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy tried to negotiate for its purchase in 1961 when she was renovating the White House.
Since November 1992, the Philopatrians have shared some of their great fortune with Philadelphia by once-in-a-lifetime events including weddings, corporate dinners, meetings and receptions. Histories live on.