Glen Foerd

Learn about different sites at Glen Foerd, a public park and historic destination that presents innovative programs and events.

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Glen Foerd

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States

Created By: Glen Foerd on the Delaware

Tour Information

Glen Foerd is a historic riverfront estate and public park offering experiences that foster creativity, innovation, and an appreciation of the natural world. Glen Foerd is located in the Torresdale Neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia. On this tour, you’ll learn about the different structures within the landscape, the empire that built this estate, and its relationship with wider trends in design, horticulture, art, and entrepreneurship.

This self-guided or virtual tour will take you to several sites around the grounds of Glen Foerd and finish with four highlights inside the mansion. Please note that the mansion is open for self guided tours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. We appreciate your commitment to practicing safe physical distancing as you participate!


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What You'll See on the Tour

Welcome to Glen Foerd on the Delaware! Glen Foerd is a historic riverfront estate and public park offering experiences that foster creativity, innovation, and an appreciation of the natural world.  The establishment of the Glen Foerd estat... Read more
Glen Foerd is located on a high bluff at the confluence of the tidal Delaware River and the Poquessing Creek. The meeting place of the creek and river provides a rich habitat where birds, fish, reptiles and mammals thrive. The surrounding D... Read more
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 t... Read more
Glen Foerd’s first owner constructed this building as a "gas house" to fuel his own house as well as the surrounding residences in the Torresdale community. Gas for the buildings was manufactured every Monday and stored here until used. B... Read more
In the 19th century, this stone water tower supported a large wooden tank, which held enough water for the Glen Foerd estate as well as some neighboring homes. Water was pumped up to the tank by a steam pump. After the tank was removed, it ... Read more
Built in 1898, the carriage house still has many of the features needed for horse-drawn carriages and related tack. Its stalls, feed bins, and manual elevator remain. Shortly after it was built, the structure also served as a garage and a s... Read more
The stone portion of the Gate House was erected in about 1820, making it the oldest structure on the estate. The wooden addition at the rear was added much later. Caretakers of the property have lived here in the past. The Gate House is now... Read more
During the Gilded Age, new fortunes in the United States made it possible for wealthy city-dwellers to commission extravagant country estates with picturesque grounds. Glen Foerd’s landscape design reflects styles of the Country Place era... Read more
The garden house that faces the Rose Garden was the head house of five large greenhouses erected by the original owner of Glen Foerd. The greenhouses were altered with new ownership and dismantled entirely by the late 1920s, allowing the ro... Read more
The mansion’s 1902 renovation entailed a substantial expansion, adding the northern wing of the house, while incorporating opulent detailing through every room. The monumental staircase is the heart of the house, flanked by ionic columns.... Read more
In the basement of the mansion you’ll find a room that best reflects the second owner’s German heritage, the Rathskeller, which translates to “council’s chamber”. Rathkellers were historically  bar and restaurant establishments f... Read more
Contrasting the grandeur of the mansion's open-air monumental staircase, this staircase is tight and tucked away. The owners of Glen Foerd employed several domestic workers who used this staircase to navigate the house, the majority of who... Read more
Like the establishment of a prominent country estate, collecting art was another way that the upper class enjoyed demonstrating their stature and wealth in the Gilded Age. What makes this period distinct is the tendency to build eclectic co... Read more

 

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