Students reinterpret Fairmount Park mansions

With brushstrokes, stitches, photography, and more, 39 Philadelphia artists brought the great mansions of Fairmount Park to City Hall.

In an exhibit of 54 pieces designed to boost awareness of the seven colonial mansions along the Schuylkill, students from Moore College of Art and Design, a women's college at 20th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City, designed interpretations of the classic homes. Their work competed for prizes.

Kathryn Finn, 21, a junior fashion-design major, who won second prize, said the lavish interior of the Neoclassical Lemon Hill was the inspiration for a bold and colorful dress.

Taking notice of one of three large oval rooms at Lemon Hill, Finn said, she was impressed by the colorful period carpeting, lush chandeliers, a woman's portrait, and a hand-painted box bearing the image of a lemon tree. The house, which overlooks Boathouse Row, was named for the lemon trees that were grown in a greenhouse once on the property.

"When I first visited Lemon Hill, I was inspired by the design in the carpeting of the oval room," Finn said. "I found printed cotton that was a close resemblance to the pattern in the carpet."

The dress is made of print fabric in pink, green, brown, and white and features a plunging back line fastened with shiny silver chains anchored by a small disc painted as a lemon slice. The skirt of the dress has tiers of brown fabric separated by bands of lace. This detail reflects the three floors of Lemon Hill, which is nearly ringed by a porch that offers sweeping views of the river and the Center City skyline, Finn said.

The garment conjures the psychedelic patterns popular in the '60s. "My whole thing is kind of whimsical, and it is also very retro-based as well, like the 1960s," said Finn, a native of Ebensburg, Cambria County. "I really like mod in fashion."

Joyce Jones, a guide at Lemon Hill, said the oval rooms, which boast curved doors and closets, are rare in Colonial architecture.

"Not even the White House has these doors," Jones said.

Christine Mifsud, a 1980 Moore graduate, who works as a volunteer guide at Woodford mansion, said she came up with the idea for the exhibit while thinking of ways to increase interest in the mansions. The competition was launched in April, and $1,000 in prize money was awarded. The entries, on display on the fifth floor of City Hall, are titled "Fairmount Park's Colonial Elite."

Mifsud is a member of the Park House Guides of the Historic Fairmount Park Houses, which conducts tours of the mansions. The 90-member volunteer group is based at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

"We've seen the numbers of visitors dwindle," said Mifsud, noting that it is difficult to reach the mansions in the park via public transportation.

A trackless trolley service to the mansions, run by the Philadelphia Trolley Works, was discontinued about a year ago, she said. Woodford, the brick Georgian mansion near 33d and Dauphin Streets, attracts only a handful of people per day, she said.

Jones said Lemon Hill, which gets about 8,000 visitors a year, is also a popular venue for weddings and other gatherings.

The third-prize winner, Dana Osburn, 21, a fine-arts major from Pottsville, Schuylkill County, painted an interpretive watercolor of Woodford. Osburn's work captured the look of the brick mansion, built in 1756 as a one-story home. A second story and back wing came later. "I visited the mansion for a tour, and the thing that really struck me was . . . that what we see is layers of renovation and innovations," Osburn said. "I tried to interpret that into the way I visually handled the piece."

Angeline Nesbit's first-prize winner features digital photography and collage on canvas to reflect Mount Pleasant, a Georgian mansion flanked by two outbuildings that was owned by John Macpherson, a successful Scottish sea captain. Her work depicts three tall ships, one of them on fire. "I was inspired by the builder's life at sea and the overall design elements," said Nesbit, 20, a junior 3D fine-arts major from Somers Point, N.J.

"I was very pleased to interact with the houses," Nesbit said. "I didn't even know they existed."

The seven Fairmount Park Houses, mansions from the 18th and early 19th centuries, were mostly summer residences for some of Philadelphia's elite merchants and business leaders. The houses were all acquired in the mid-19th century by the City of Philadelphia as it was developing Fairmount Park. All are located in the park near the Schuylkill.

The mansions, which feature period furnishings, are available for tours. Some can be rented for special occasions. Christmas tours will run from Dec. 2 to 13.

The houses are owned by the City of Philadelphia and governed by the Fairmount Park Commission. They are administered by a consortium of civic organizations, a trust, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. For hours and more information, call 215-229-6115.

Strawberry Mansion, the one park house for which an entire neighborhood is named, was built in 1788-89. It was the country home of Judge William Lewis, a prominent city lawyer, who dubbed the place Summerville. The mansion, built in Federalist style, was purchased in 1819 by Judge Joseph Hemphill, who added two large Greek Revival wings. The City of Philadelphia bought the house in 1871 in the creation of Fairmount Park. The house became a popular restaurant featuring strawberries and cream and was renamed Strawberry Mansion. It is administered by the Committee of 1926, a women's volunteer group.

Lemon Hill was built by merchant Henry Pratt in 1800. The Neoclassical-style residence features a series of oval rooms with curved doors, and fireplaces on each of its three floors. The rooms overlook the Schuylkill and offer dramatic views of the Center City skyline. The mansion is named for the lemon trees that were grown in a greenhouse that was once part of the property. It is administered by the Colonial Dames of America, Chapter II, a nonprofit patriotic society.

Mount Pleasant, the home of John Macpherson, a Scottish sea captain, was built between 1762 and 1765. It was part of a 150-acre plantation that consisted of hay fields, pasture for cattle and sheep, and a kitchen garden. The Georgian-style home with stucco exterior and Venetian windows consists of a main house flanked by two large outbuildings. The house is administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Laurel Hill was built between 1764 and 1767. It was the home of Rebecca Rawle, a recently widowed mother of three. Rawle later married Samuel Shoemaker, a local merchant, who served a term as mayor of Philadelphia. The mansion originally was a two-story Georgian with brick center structure. In the late 18th century or early 19th century, a small, single-story wing was added, and soon thereafter, a two-story octagonal wing was built. The yellow mansion with white trim is built on a bluff overlooking the Schuylkill. It is one of the most visible houses on the river. The mansion is administered by the Women for Greater Philadelphia, a volunteer organization.

Woodford, built in 1756 by William Coleman, an area merchant and confidant of Benjamin Franklin's, originally was a one-story structure. In 1769, it was sold to Alexander Barclay, a Quaker merchant. Two years later, it was sold to Barclay's brother-in-law, David Franks, who added a second story and back wing. The brick mansion, built in the Georgian style, is maintained by trustees of the estate of Naomi Wood, a collector of Colonial furniture and housewares, who died in 1926.

Cedar Grove, originally located in the Frankford section, was moved to Fairmount Park in 1926-1928. It was the summer home of five generations of the Coates, Paschall, and Morris families of Philadelphia. The house was initially a small, gray stone farmhouse with only a dining area and upper bed chamber. Numerous additions were built over the years. Its interior rooms are a mix of Baroque, Rococo, and Federalist styles. It was given to the City of Philadelphia in 1928. The house is administered by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Sweetbriar, a three-story stone house, was built in 1797 by Samuel Breck, a Philadelphia merchant. It was designed in the Neoclassical style and reflects designs from ancient Greece and Rome. The furnishings include classical motifs and examples by local and New England craftsmen. The City of Philadelphia acquired it in 1869. The Modern Club of Philadelphia, a philanthropic group, has administered the mansion since 1939.

- Vernon Clark
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The exhibit "Fairmount Park's Colonial Elite," featuring 54 works by 39 artists, is free and open to the public in the north side hallway

on the fifth floor of City Hall. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

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