This historic mansion, built around 1756, stands at 2300 N 33rd Street. It was the first house in Philadelphia to be built according to the opulent Georgian colonial architectural style. Today, it is a museum and a National Historic Landmark.

The Owners of the Woodford Mansion

This luxurious mansion was built on 12 acres of land in southwest Philadelphia, with the prospect of becoming the holiday residence of William Coleman. Coleman, a rich merchant as well as a judge in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, was well-known in colonial Philadelphia, having been born there to Quaker parents and having spent his whole life in the city, working several municipal jobs and dedicating his time to Philadelphia’s cultural institutions.

Coleman was a close friend of Benjamin Franklin for a good 30 years before he had the Woodford Mansion built, and he’s even listed among the founders of the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania). He got married in 1738 and by 1747 he had been dealing with Spanish and French pirates and privateers, as well as slavers, trying to drive them away from the city. He kept working until his death in 1769.

After Coleman’s death, Alexander Barclay, a Quaker, bought the house, but he died only a decade later. The Mansion then passed into the hands of his brother-in-law, David Franks, who was a fervent loyalist and ordered to leave the house for this reason. The Mansion was bought by a man named Isaac Wharton and remained his heirs’ property until 1869, when the city of Philadelphia bought it to add it to Fairmount Park. At this point, the Mansion started serving multiple purposes, including being the headquarters for the Fairmount Park Guard.

The Woodford Mansion: an Opulent Example of Georgian Architecture

The Mansion was built just outside of colonial Philadelphia and it was among the first group of early “country seats”, that is, houses that were built in the 1700s along the Schuylkill River. The Mansion was conceived as a summer home with a servants’ house and stables. After the passing of its first owner, William Coleman, the following owner decided to expand the Mansion, adding a second floor and turning the rear into a two-story section, effectively triplicating the original size of the house, which was built on a 1.5-story structure. 

At the center of the house, the entry hall can be admired. It is distinguished by its Doric frieze and unusual coved ceiling. On the south side, to the right of the entry, the Parlor can be found. This area of the house features a carved overmantle that has been judged among the finest in America. Two bed chambers were located on the north side, and there was a kitchen in the basement below. Bed chambers, along with a large room that is likely to have been a ballroom, were added to the second floor, with an attic above.

All the interior and exterior doors, painted to look like fine-quality mahogany, were added while David Franks owned the Mansion. The style of the house changed again when the Whartons became its owners and chose to combine two bed chambers into a dining room on the first floor and two other bedrooms on the second floor, creating one large room. In these rooms, the Federal style from that period prevails.

By 1769, records of insurance surveys on the Mansion show the presence of a large piazza, extending the whole length of the house. By the end of the 19th century, this structure had been almost completely demolished, leaving only a small stair and a platform. In the late 1920s, a Colonial Revival-style porch was added.

The Fire of 2003

In the summer of 2003, a fire broke out at the Woodford Mansion. Part of the attic was burned and luckily no historic artifacts were affected by the flames. However, everything in the house was damaged by smoke and water. The Mansion was shut down until 2005 when, after 2 years of restoration, it re-opened, boasting new mechanical and electrical systems, as well as historically accurate furniture and elements.

The Woodford Mansion Today

Today, the Woodford Mansion is owned by the city of Philadelphia and operated by the Naomi Wood Trust. It’s a historic house museum with an orchard and a garden, sustainable and organic, that does not serve as a recreation of the original orchard but represents yet another good reason to visit the Mansion. The house also hosts occasional events and accepts walk-ins, as well as offering holiday tours.