An elegant estate left to languish, Lynnewood Hall is one of the most magnificent Gilded Age mansions still standing in America.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!While the neoclassical house is defined by its turbulent, tragic past, it’s also hiding one or two secrets that are sure to leave you scratching your head.
Located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, the sprawling 480-acre (194ha) property was completed at the turn of the 20th century for Peter A B Widener following the death of his wife, Hannah, who passed away on board the family’s yacht, a tragedy that would come to sadly mirror itself in later generations of the Widener family.
Noted architect Horace Trumbauer undertook the elaborate design, which is staggering in its scale and includes a few unexpected surprises
The 70,000-square-foot (6,503sqm) limestone mansion, which encompasses a breathtaking 110 rooms, is thought to have cost Widener around $8 million to bring to life in 1900 – that would be about $300 million (£227m) today.
Aside from the 55 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms, the property’s ballroom is said to be able to accommodate around 1,000 guests, while the double-height columned hall is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Many of the home’s original, ornate furnishings still adorn the dilapidated interior, including this regal guest room.
However, tragedy once again struck the palatial property. Peter A B Widener was an early investor in the HMS Titanic, and in a cruel twist of fate, his eldest son George and grandson Harry perished in the waves during the ship’s ill-fated maiden voyage.
While the estate’s sad history has been well-documented, it still harbours secrets that are only just coming to light…
Photographer Leland Kent recently discovered a mysterious subterranean tunnel while he was touring the property. Delving deep underground beneath the mansion and branching off in a maze of passageways, it doesn’t appear to have been recorded before and it’s not clear exactly what it was used for.
Luckily for the grand old house, it was bought by the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation in June 2023, after nearly a decade on the market. While the final sale price was not revealed, the Foundation said that they had raised $9.5 million (£7.2m) to cover the purchase, as well as urgent stabilisation works.
Once the major restorations have been undertaken, the house and its massive estate will open to the public as a “cultural art centre and event space”, the Foundation’s executive director, Edward Thome, revealed to US newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer.