Whitemarsh Hall: The Estate of Edward T. Stotesbury (PA) (Images of America) [Paperback]

Charles G. Zwicker (Author), Edward C. Zwicker (Author), Springfield Township Historical Society (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004

Whitemarsh Hall, known as "the Versailles of America," was one of the largest and most exquisite estates in North America. Edward Townsend Stotesbury, one of the wealthiest Philadelphians in the early twentieth century, commissioned renowned architect Horace Trumbauer to build the one-hundred-forty-sevenroom mansion in 1916 on three hundred acres just outside Philadelphia. Whitemarsh Hall, which took five years to build at an estimated cost of $10 million with all the furnishings, was a wedding present for his second wife.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Springfield Township Historical Society was established in 1985, in large part as a result of the township and its interested residents losing battles to save significant historical buildings, including Whitemarsh Hall. Board members Charles G. and Edward C. Zwicker actively research Springfield Township history and conduct presentations on topics of local interest. They also authored Springfield Township, Montgomery County with the historical society.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing; First Edition edition (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738536172
• ISBN-13: 978-0738536170
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #547,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gilded Age Splendor, August 30, 2005

By 

Shannon Deason (Houston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whitemarsh Hall: The Estate of Edward T. Stotesbury (PA) (Images of America) (Paperback)

This is a very interesting book on one of the grandest estates ever to grace the American landscape. The period photos alone are worth the price of the book, but the story of the house and its disgusting demise are facinating. This truly was one of the greatest of the Gilded Age estates, ranking with San Simeon, Biltmore and Lynnewood Hall, the latter we hope does not meet the same fate as Whitemarsh. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in great residental architecture or just quite frankly a sence of history. If you have an interest in Whitemarsh itself I would suggest also purchasing American Splendor, this book focuses on Horace Traumbaur, the architect of this great house and many others, including Lynnewood Hall.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read!, September 30, 2005

By 

Just Dude "-----" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Whitemarsh Hall: The Estate of Edward T. Stotesbury (PA) (Images of America) (Paperback)

This book is excellent. It starts out with the people involved and leads up to the creation and demise of the greatest house I've ever seen. Yes, I was fortunate enough to grow up in the area of this exquisite palace. Unfortunately I did not walk the halls of Whitemarsh in its heyday but even in its dilapidated state it was an awesome sight to see beyond that which words can describe. The book is a good read and well worth the selling price. What happened to this house still tears at my insides even after all of these years.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the rise & fall of an American Versailles, June 30, 2007

By 

Shemogue (New Brunswick) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whitemarsh Hall: The Estate of Edward T. Stotesbury (PA) (Images of America) (Paperback)

Whitemarsh Hall, built outside Philadelphia in 1916-21 at a cost of $10 million, was a wedding gift from the wealthy septuagenarian Edward Stotesbury to his second wife.
Relying almost entirely on numerous archival photos, this modest volume documents the rise and fall of the magnificent house which, together with its extensive gardens, was once known as the Versailles of America.

Several phases of the construction are shown including the planting of an avenue of mature trees.(The elderly Stotesbury could not afford to wait for small trees to grow up). As for the finished interiors, one yearns for a massive coffee-table book. Alas, the smallish black and white photos of the lavishly decorated principal rooms can give only an impression of their grandeur during the house's heyday in the 1930's, but are a sufficient and tragic record of its decline as later decades of neglect, vandalism and decay preceded the wreckers' ball.

Although there is only one page of text, the authors cleverly manage to convey many delicious tidbits of trivia about house and family by means of the voluminous captions accompanying each photo. For instance: that Douglas MacArthur was briefly Stotesbury's son-in-law and a luxurious suite was reserved for the General's visits; that Mrs Stotesbury's son Jimmy was married to the heiress of the Dodge fortune and later to tobacco heiress Doris Duke. The elder Stotesbury, ever conscious that the huddled masses might be aroused to rebellion by the sight of so much luxury in their midst, installed four machine guns on the roof to ward them off.

In spite of their reputation for frequent and lavish entertaining - 600 guests to a party were not unusual - the Stotesburys did not encourage visitors to stay over. There were only 7 guest bedroom suites in the 147-room house and on the morning of the third day of his visit, a houseguest's breakfast tray would contain a note offering to assist his arrangements for departure. (One presumes General MacArthur was exempt from this rule). The great humorist Will Rogers was not asked back after a flippant remark upon the quality of the champagne, nor was another female guest who likened the coloured lights set up for a garden party to Coney Island (though the lights were taken down).

I enjoyed the book and appreciate its value as a historic record, but I had expected a lengthier written history of the Whitemarsh Estate and its owners, and was, therefore, a little disappointed to find it is essentially a picture book. Nevertheless, the book is entertaining, informative & certainly a boon to those who believe a picture is worth a thousand words.