Glen Foerd Mansion

Glen Foerd, originally known as Glengarry, was built as an Italianate country house in the mid 1800s. In this period, high profits of the owning class allowed them to build private getaways where they could escape the hustle and bustle of the urban center and assert their social standing through impressive design. Glen Foerd was constructed for Charles Macalester, a wealthy financier who purchased considerable acreage bordered by the Delaware River. Macalester not only created his own estate on his acquired land, but built several homes for relatives and other prominent Philadelphians to reside or retreat, establishing the area of Torresdale. Torresdale and Glengarry were named to pay homage to Macalester’s heritage, their namesakes both ancestral homes in Scotland.

The house was enlarged in 1902 after being purchased by the Foederer family. At that point, the estate was renamed “Glen Foerd” to represent both periods of ownership. The interiors were especially transformed with elaborate details, which you can see later in the tour. Smaller adaptations to the house and grounds continued for several years.

Italianate features of the house include the hipped roof and ornamental brackets. You can still conjure the house’s exterior in its original state: Imagine a wrap-around porch encircling the central three-story structure, with the north wing removed, and a cupola at the center of the roof.