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- Add Your Comments below on why preserving and reopening the mansion and grounds matter to you. We’ll use these comments to show political officials, grantors and foundation funders, and potential supporters that there’s a strong passion for Lynnewood Hall from a diverse group of enthusiasts.
Tell us why preserving Lynnewood Hall is important to you.
What do you think the future use of the site and buildings should be?
We want to hear what inspires you about Lynnewood Hall.
Please note that comments here may be used in promotional materials.
Lynnewood Hall is a work of art that needs to be preserved for future generations to appreciate! I believe this legacy project will find the engagement and interest to make this possible!
Lynnewood Hall is an imperative work of art, piece of history, and celebration of life’s beauty. This project is serving as a savior to the property, and cannot be appreciated enough.
As a collector of architectural salvage, I know firsthand the craftsmanship that went into creating these extraordinary homes during the Gilded Age. This level of craftsmanship no longer exists in America in the 21st century. Never again will anyone create something as grand and it is for this reason as well as it’s incredible historical significance that it should be preserved for the future. Have we not learned anything from the destruction of Penn Station and Whitemarsh Hall?
Such an important part of our shared Pennsylvania and American history.
As a historic home owner from the Gilded Age, these homes are not only our past, but our heritage. As these stately homes have mostly fallen out of fashion, they become subject to a lack of people who can honesty afford them BUT I am truly sickened by story after story of their demolition.
Image a world in which we come together and preserve our past structures like Britain has the National Trust!
Image a world that instead of luxury yachts, billionaires worked to preserve our history for future generation!
As an avid preservationist, I urge all interested to work and collectively support these efforts to preserve our past. Do we truly need more track houses? Honestly?
I urge anyone and everyone to donate to help save this amazing hall from its fate if we do not save it. As a part of our history, we will never recreate these spaces and places.
Let’s band together to save this historic piece of architecture I am begging!
I agree, we need a patriotic billionaire to give back to the country that gave them so much opportunity.
I have an old building in Maine I am restoring, I just wish I had the money to pull this restoration off.
It will be similar to Wentworth Woodhouse in England.
I agree 100%!!!
Lynnewood Hall is one of the most important estates in all of America. It has always truly inspired me, and believe it or not helps me make it through every day, knowing that someday I might get to behold it in all of it’s glory and granduer. It would mean the absolute world to me for someone to restore it to it’s original state!
I recently saw a video on YouTube of a man decorating the Hall’s front gate for her birthday. This represented to me the fact that we as American Citizens want to love Lynnewood Hall, and care for her. Though how can we do this if she ceases to exist in the distant future?
Thank you LHPF for all of the work and time you have put into preserving this extraordinary piece of history!
I attended Tyler School of Art in the mid-1990s which was then right down the street from Lynnewood Hall. When I first laid eyes upon the mansion, I was blown away by its size, beauty, and decay. Since then, I have become very interested in the gilded age and the mansions of that era. It has been my dream for nearly 30 years to see Lynnewood Hall restored to its former glory.
Preserving Lynnewood Hall is important to me because I think of what kind of individuals the Weideners were. Conservation was their watchword, as was sharing the beauty of this home with others. It has been neglected and shut away from the world for far too long.
We need to preserve this American gem. It is a living piece of this country’s history and building at its finest. The world needs to see this place.
I truly believe in this project!!!! Let’s make it possible.
Finally there is some legitimate hope for this amazing structure. I’ve have watched the numerous videos many times that individuals post, when they sneak into the building to film.
The video shot by the Bros of Decay recently was amazing, I finally got to see the interior in its entirety.
This future restoration will be on a similar scale of the successful one taking place at Wentworth Woodhouse in England.
Maybe the Lynwood team could reach out to the Wentworth team and get some additional ideas.
This building has to be saved, it is such an important part of American history.
When I traveled to Philadelphia for work,
I stopped by and walked around the building for hours, videos and pictures don’t do it justice, it was hard to leave.
It is important for humanity to be aware of the power of imagination and its role in igniting that spark of divinity in us that is the impetus for all human development. Lynnewood Hall is a symbol of the divinely inspired human imagination. Visitors will be challenged to elevate their thinking and to evolve their souls.
one good reason to continue to preserve the maintenance of lynewood hall it’s one of the biggest mansions in the united States.also because of this it’s within Philadelphia and you should want to continue to apply all the good maintenance to something that historical from here within Philadelphia.
I think lynewood hall is one of the biggest homes in Philadelphia.and that is a big reason and the good reason to apply all the glow and maintenance to preserve this building.
I have been going to Lynewood hall everday for awhile to just be fascinated by the man who owned a mansion to hold in late 1800s to follow time up into the present day.& now i believe you can see & imagine things yourself from ever year on that building since it was built.& that’s powering history in Philadelphia.
This building represents a Golden age of America and it’s history
It is so important to preserve this great building and it’s history as I am from the U K born in London I know how important history is shown through great houses you must save what you have
Vicki
PLEASE SAVE THIS TREASURE!
This house has to be saved. It would make jobs for the community to have it open to the public. Think of longwood gardens. Made job for people and keeps going. Preserve this piece of history is vital to Philadelphia history. Opening it up to the pubic is important. Having it restored to its original glory. Think of all the ways once restored it could be used for. Photo shoots in the gardens. Weddings. Maybe even used for the show the guided age. Since part of that show has ties to PA. Great for field trips all generations to learn important part of history. I would love to help try to think of fundraising ideas for this house to be saved and be able to help. I wish I had that kind of money. Sadly I don’t.
I am very curious of when renovations will start, I’m actually dating a descendant of the family
Lynnewood Hall is such an amazing place! I’ve always had a fascination with mansions and historical places in general. I’ve also always had a fascination with anything that had to do with the Titanic. When I found out there was a mansion that was home to an investor of the Titanic that caught my interest right away and I just had to see it! I went to Lynnewood Hall in summer of 2021 and I was just amazed with how beautiful it was from just the outside! Even though I could not go in because it’s not open to the public it was still such a cool thing to see! I think it would be so important to work toward restoring this beautiful mansion and opening it to the public because it holds so much beauty and there is just so much history behind this place and the family that owned it that I feel the world should know! I think it would be such a great idea to eventually open it for historical tours so people can learn about its history!
There are Widener cousins that live in southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota that have reunions as often as possible. There are always pictures of Paul and his family on the picture boards. It is an amazing feeling to be a part of a family with a historical legacy such as theirs.
Our local museum had the Titanic exhibit where you are given a boarding pass with a real passenger’s name. At the end you discover if “you” survived. The docent was so interested in our connection that she helped us find Paul’s and gave it to us. I can’t wait to take it to the next reunion.
I recently came across this majestic masterpiece of neoclassical architecture that is Lynnewood Hall and was quickly enamored by its beauty yet at the same time disappointed that this site has succumbed to abandonment and disrepair. I also heard about your organization and it’s noble endeavor of restoring this magnificent building to its former glory. I could not believe that the descendants of the Widener family would just abandon such a beautiful masterpiece of a building. The least they could have done is use their wealth to secure the survival of this astonishing building for future admiration by placing it in good hands for the continuous maintenance and upkeep of the site. I mean, it is an understatement to say that this building looks as good or better than many other neoclassical works even in its state of abandonment. This building looks absolutely regal. This place would be a truly favorite destination for any art loving tourist when opened for cultural, educational and recreational tours and events held for the public. Lynnewood Hall would make for an outstanding museum.
In all restorative works of truly masterpiece works of art of classical nature, from the Parthenon to the Coliseum, I promote the adherence of making the site resemble the original as close as possible. It would be lovely to see restoration that is faithful to the original interior and exterior decor as well as the outdoor garden design. If some decor has been stripped away and sold off by subsequent owners over the years, it would be amazing to see this decor rebuilt into the site.
I love all art and architecture of classical nature, so I wish you and your goal to restore this building all the very best.
Lynnewood Hall is a magnificent monument to what once was and is now forgotten. The work and care, countless man-hours and money spent to create such a breathtaking property, that type of attention is given to nothing these days. Today, even modern mansions are made quickly and made disposable. Once, we were proud of what we built, so as to stand the test of time. Against time, the building still stands, has society become so wasteful and so conceded that we can’t save this surviving monolith to a grander time past? For those that would say its too much work to restore, tell that to the guys that built the place with tools far less sophisticated than we have today.
Contact me for general clean up, woodwork and contracting, but don’t count me in on any of that fancy plaster work.
Lynnewood Hall should be restored to some kin of museum or perhaps a grand hotel so it could operate similar to how it did when it was conceived.
I believe that preserving and restoring the long but not forgotten Lynnewood Hall is an important part of the Gilded Age that many scholars, art lovers, history experts, antique collectors, and many artists would acknowledge. Many people did not no anything about the mansion and what it’s significance was. I hope that any living members of the Widener family would be very satisfied with the restoration of an estate that would bring everyone together. I am also certain that anyone well aware of the mansion, including that of the National Gallery of Art, would be grateful too. I understand that the vast, Widener collection they have in their gallery areas originated from the mansion before it was sold to a seminary.
I also hope that someday I will take part of this opportunity because I love old, historic homes that hold importance. Also, I would like to participate in the process of restoring and repurposing anything.
I want to helpS.
Lynnewood Hall would be a fantastic venue for the Arts, Restoring the galleries for permanent or traveling shows, music performances outdoors on the grounds or indoors in the ballroom could host a music competion etc. This would continue the history of the home as a home for the Arts.
This is a truly beautiful place of great historical significance. Providing both an artistic experience as well as a lens to take oneself back into the time of such extravagance. Many of the worlds greatest discoveries were those of seemingly small historical significance. It would be a dream to be able to join you all in the future to take a closer look at the home and understand the many lives that were impacted there and to perhaps learn more about the specific significance of the architecture and the items to the correlated time in history. As we treasure the sunken titanic ship we should treasure places such as this.
Incredible. Cant wait to visit. Hopefully with some ingenuity both in terms of business, fundraising, grants and applying for historical protection the property can restores and serve as a mixed use space:
– hosting tours about the history of the building/architecture and that time period, as well as the story of the founder and their family
– getting money from photo and film shoots
– hosting holiday festivals in and around the property with historical touches from the era it was built (4th of July, etc)
– hosting appropriate non-holiday parties (for inspiration check out the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor’s Island in NYC)
– hosting big ticket fundraisers for a variety of institutions, be they governmental or university based
– collaborating with local charities to elevate them and as a write off for your own institution
– and offering a limited, high-end, BnB experience from Spring through Fall including local activities of that era such as horseback riding and the philharmonic
Just some ideas!
(Let me know when I can come by for a photoshoot please!! 💟)
I believe that Lynnewood Hall deserves to be preserved for obvious reasons; it’s a pivotal piece of history. This beautiful structure is more than just a building, and it is so important for history, architecture, and art. It can provide so much education and learning from a time that was so crucial to history that is slowly being forgotten. The gilded ages was so important and we need to preserve anything that is in relation to that time period. The backstory alone is so beautiful and important enough as a reason to preserve this structure. Lynnewood Hall is linked to history through so much. Its ties to an influential family and the Titanic really emphasizes its importance. It’s sad that we can only learn of places like this in books or stories, and have nothing to see with our own eyes and experience in our country. Lynnewood Hall is important for so many reasons and really adds value to Pennsylvania’s rich history. I hope to be able to be part of preserving this beautiful piece of history and would love to get involved in any volunteer opportunities to help clean up the lands and structure as I’m sure many would. Spreading the word to get more people aware of Lynnewood Hall is huge and I’m happy to help anyway I can!
I’ve been following this mansion for sometime so angered by the fact it’s been sitting derelict this long. I’ve been saying for years that developers or billionaires are sleeping on a Titanic/Gatsby themed hotel that could host weddings/events as well as educational historical tours. Unfortunately I’ve only seen it through a YouTube video and when I heard that church had sold off interior decorum I wanted to scream. Historical architecture makes me cry not only does it put in perspective where it’s been and who lived there and what life was like, but it’s art. It’s simply breathtaking elegance of fine craftsmanship makes me emotional. Like I’m an artist and nothing gets me like Victorian/ Vintage architecture. So glad it’s been saved by a foundation designed to save this beautiful piece of history. I can’t wait to visit one day
This is a beautiful property and it should be preserved. I am glad the preservation society has taken up the reins.
I find lynnewood hall hauntingly beautiful.
When I watched a video of the abandoned building with all the atefacts, it resonated with me as I left my belongings behind when I had to move throughout my life.
Great news that the building/grounds are being preserved! I believe it should be used for community purposes, i.e. public tours, farmers markets, festivals, concerts. See Longwood Gardens or Glen Foerd Mansion for other similar ideas.
I would love to support your Lynnewood Hall preservation project through purchasing apparel such as a t-shirt, or even a sweatshirt. I believe each part of history deserves to be a sweet memoir for the future to take place, the site could be used to show the importance of the bits and pieces and host a committee for the people who would like to partake and/or participate in private and public preservation projects. Lynnewood Hall inspires me to keep going and do what is best for everyone and not just myself.