In the Spring of 1881
William Welsh Harrison, 31 years old and co-owner with his
brothers of the Franklin Sugar Refinery, purchased the Rosedale Hall estate in
Glenside from J. Thomas Audenreid. He took up residence with his family and
began purchasing neighboring properties, eventually extending his holdings to a
total of 138 acres.
By 1891 Mr. Harrison decided to enlarge the main house and
also provide a gatehouse and more appropriate stables for his horses and
carriages. For this project he turned to Horace Trumbauer, a young architect
then 23 years old. Trumbauer completed the work in 1892; the gate-house and the
stables both carry dating stones of that year.
Up From the Ashes
In January of 1893 a raging fire destroyed the main house of
Rosedale Hall and the Harrison family fled to the stables for refuge. Shortly
thereafter, they moved into a house in Glenside proper, and Harrison called on
Horace Trumbauer to build a new home for him on the site of old Rosedale Hall.
By March the architect had completed his plans for a grandiose structure based
on Alnwick Castle, the medieval seat of the Dukes of Northumberland in England.
The new residence, estimated to cost $250,000, would be inspired by Alnwick,
but not directly copied from it. Conveniences of the most modern kind were to
be provided, including electricity.
By the end of 1893 work was well under-way. Grey stone was
quarried in nearby Chestnut Hill while Indiana limestone served for the
exterior trim of doors, windows and other elements. For the interior
installations, the finest local craftsmen were called upon for the vast amount
of hand-carved woodwork involved. The decor of the principal rooms expressed an
eclectic selection of various French styles ranging from the Renaissance
through the age of Louis XV.
Eclecticism and Elegance
In the central Great Hall various designs show influences
from French Renaissance chateaux such as Chambord in the Loire Valley, erected
early in the 16th century for Francis I. The two impressive mantles of Caen
stone are interpretations of a huge Renaissance mantle in the Salle des Gardes
of the Francis I wing of the royal Chateau of Blois. On these at Grey Towers
the royal emblems have been replaced by fleur-de-lis, while the central
escutcheon holds the coat-of-arms of Mr. Harrison's father. Clearly, Mr.
Trumbauer was attracted at this time by the French Renaissance. This influence
appears again at Grey Towers in many of the principle rooms.
The Library, now the President's Office, has walls lined
with inset hook cabinets whose original glass fronts have now been replaced
with wood panels. Walnut frames carved in Renaissance style outline the
cabinets and the ornamental plaster panels above. Below the ceiling cornice
runs a plaster frieze molded with cupids and garlands. The original moldings
and paint may still be seen on the coffered ceiling.
Beyond the Library, also on the south side of the Great
Hall, lies the Dining Room. Here there is the use of classical Renaissance
architectural elements in the walnut columns and caryatids or consoles which
frame the wooden paneling of the walls and the mantlepiece. These are
reminiscent of interiors at Fontainebleau, as is the strapwork ceiling. The
glass doors at the far end of the room once opened into a circular metal and
glass Conservatory on the south terrace. Unfortunately, the deteriorating state
of this structure eventually led to its removal by Arcadia University in 1952.
A corridor leading west from the Dining Room toward the
former location of the kitchens and servants' hall gives access to the
Breakfast Room. The walnut paneling of this room is surmounted by a narrow band
of tapestry woven with scenes of the hunt. Overhead, painted canvas panels fill
spaces between the ceiling beams. The marble mosaic work of the fireplace is
similar to that found in other fireplace decorations throughout the house.
After the Castle had been finished, it was decided to enlarge this room with
the present glass and metal extension onto the south terrace. The windows and
sills of the original Breakfast Room were removed to provide a broad opening
into the addition.
Behind the main stairway of the Great Hall, a sunken landing
opens through massive sliding doors into the oak-paneled Billiard Room
An Ornamental Showpiece
On the north side of the Great Hall, near the Billiard Room,
a small circular entryway with a domed and gilded ceiling leads into the Mirror
Room. The original form of this room was later changed when Trumbauer arranged
for the installation of the present early Louis XV or Baroque Ballroom as it
was called. Quite probably this entire room was ordered as a package through
the New York offices of a French firm. The room was created in France and
shipped to Glenside, along with workmen to install it. The ceiling painting by
Francois Lafon (or Lafor) represents the four seasons as women, attended by
cupids and floating against a sky cut by the path of the zodiac. Within the
cove separating the walls from the ceiling runs a vine motif ornamented with
cupids, long-necked birds and female figures.
A pair of sliding doors opens from the Ballroom into the
adjoining Drawing Room now known as the Rose Room. Here the ornamentation is a
composite of various details typical of the later years in the reign of Louis
XV.
The grand stairway of the Great Hall Grey Towers rises to a
landing where a large archway gives entrance to the Music Room. Each pier of
this arch displays a single, large, mahogany panel carved with French
Renaissance designs. The ceiling of the room was originally painted in
Renaissance style, but all that now remains is the painting in the spaces over
the archway. The mahogany mantlepiece at one end of the room again derives its
design from the Chateau of Blois. The original can be seen there in the Salle
des Gardes, the same room in which stands the original of the two mantles in
Grey Towers' Great Hall. Tapestries decorate the walls above the wainscoting of
the Music Room. The piece at the end opposite the fireplace represents an
allegory of music with what is presumably the Muse of Music, Euterpe, seated in
the center. In the lower right corner of this tapestry can be seen the
signature "Baumgarten 1898."
The Dream Fulfilled
William Baumgarten and Company, Inc. of New York City
provided all of the tapestries throughout the house and accomplished all of the
ornamental painting on ceilings and walls as well. They were not engaged,
however, for the Mirror Room. The tapestry, dated 1898, and the date 1897
carved on a panel section of the Library combine with other evidence to show
that the interior decoration of Grey Towers was complete by the fall of 1898.
William Welsh Harrison now owned one of America's great
castles which, with its 40 rooms, was also one of the largest homes in the
country. The eclecticism so popular at the time is well represented in Grey
Towers' architecture and interior decoration. The structure attracted attention
to the architect, and Horace Trumbauer was launched on a highly successful
career.
Mr. Harrison died in 1927 and in 1929 Arcadia University,
then located in Jenkintown, purchased Grey Towers from his widow and son at a
price of $712,500. For a number of years, classes were held both in Jenkintown and
Glenside, but in 1962 Arcadia University transferred completely to the Grey
Towers property.
In October 1985, Grey Towers Castle was declared a National
Historic Landmark, providing proper recognition of its architectural and
historical significance.
Recently, a support group called the Society for Castle
Restoration was organized to help with needed maintenance and preservation
efforts.
Call 215-572-2900 for more information.
(http://www.arcadia.edu/about/default.aspx?id=579)